Gathering One's Pride
by SkyGem
Summary: Ever since they came to a truce four hundred years ago, humans and youkai have coexisted with each other more or less peacefully. But despite how much the governments liked to brag about how far society had come since then, it was painfully obvious just how much the humans still looked down upon and ostracized the youkai. And because of...full summary inside. One-shot challenge.


Summary: Ever since they came to a truce four hundred years ago, humans and youkai have coexisted with each other more or less peacefully. But despite how much the governments liked to brag about how far society had come since then, it was painfully obvious just how much the humans still looked down upon and ostracized the youkai. And because of this, Tsunayoshi Sawada, who is already picked on for his low grades and scrawny build, works desperately to hide the fact that he is not human. However, in his second year of high school, it somehow gets out that he's a direct descendant of none other than Giotto Vongola, the one responsible for bringing about the truce between the humans and youkai, and Tsunayoshi is forced to stop being a bystander and is thrown into the midst of a battle he'd been trying his hardest to avoid.

SkyGem: Heya my precious ones! Now, some of you may be wondering why the lovely and talented Bleach-ed-Na-tsu and I have both just posted fics with the exact same summar. Well. That's because this was a challenge we're both taking part in! Basically, the rules were that we both got the same summary, but we didn't tell each other anything else about what we were writing, and when the deadline finally arrived, we would both post our one-shots, and see what the other decided to do with the plot bunny! Now I can't really speak for Bleach-ed-Na-tsu, but for me this has been a super fun experience, and I'm really glad we went for it! Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review, and check out Bleach-ed-Na-tsu's fic acterwards as well, yes? I haven't read it yet, but I can guarantee it will be amazing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or any of the characters that in habit the manga.

* * *

At sixteen years old, Sawada Tsunayoshi had an admittedly pathetic life.

His marks – the lowest in his grade.

Friends – he had none.

Athletic ability – pretty much non-existent.

But despite the bullying and teasing he endured on a daily basis, it was nothing to the torment he would receive should anyone find out his deepest, darkest secret.

And so, in order to keep his existence from getting any worse, Tsuna forced himself awake early every morning.

He bound his ears to his head with a strip of cloth, and carefully arranged his wig so that neither the cloth nor his silky blond locks were visible. The headaches brought on by keeping his ears in such an unnatural position for so long were agonizing, and he didn't think he'd ever get used to them. They were also a rather large part of why his marks were so low, despite him having inherited his mother's quick wit and excellent memory.

Once his ears were properly concealed, he would get dressed and arrange his tail (another rather painful endeavour), all the while thanking the gods that the sparse human blood in him meant that his legs and feet were more like a human's and less like the lion he got his other extra body parts from – his legs were still covered in blond fur, but they were straighter than most of his kin, and his feet would actually fit in human shoes.

By the time he was done getting ready and the beginnings of a headache was building, his mother would have his breakfast ready to eat and his bento ready to take to school. In the safety of their home, Sawada Nana's ears would be left uncovered and her tail would be flicking from side to side, betraying her cheerfulness.

Tsuna had often lamented that he hadn't born a bakeneko like his mother – it would have been so much easier to disguise himself in his human form.

But no, the gods just had to make his life miserable by giving him his father's capri-pede* genes.

Once Tsuna had finished his breakfast, he would start the long and painful trek to school (just because human shoes fit him didn't mean that they were exactly comfortable).

Normally, upon reaching his class (usually mere seconds before the bell rang), Tsuna would collapse into his chair and get ready to once again try (and once again fail) to pay attention.

On this particular day however, as soon as Tsuna entered the classroom, all eyes turned on him, and his classmates immediately started whispering to each other.

A little weirded out by the sudden attention, the teen walked to his seat, feeling even more self-conscious than usual.

"_Do you think it's true?"_ whispered one voice.

"_Of course not! This is Dame-Tsuna we're talking about after all!" _replied another.

"_If it really is him, we're doomed!"_ a third voice quietly moaned.

A dozen other similar conversations were going on around the classroom, and just as Tsuna was finally about to demand to know what the hell was going on, their teacher walked into the classroom, quieting everyone down.

The murmurs of conversation immediately ceased, but Tsuna could still feel people glancing his way every once in a while.

Agitated as he was though, as the teacher started droning on and on about whatever the hell they were supposed to be learning today, Tsuna felt his eyes starting to slip closed. The young teen hadn't really gotten much sleep the night before and his pounding head was begging for at least a short reprieve from the world of consciousness.

_The next time he opened his eyes, Tsuna was sitting at a long conference table with seven others._

_Immediately upon noticing him, they all stopped their normal banter and turned to look at him with wide, eager smiles._

"_Tsunayoshi!" cried the one sitting next to him, pulling Tsuna into a tight hug. "At what point in your timeline are you?"_

_Pulling away from the man enough that he was no longer squashed against his chest, Tsuna answered, "May of my sixteenth year. I've been a second year at Nami High for a month now and I've just fallen asleep in class. The last time I saw you all was two nights ago."_

_The man holding him started chuckling at this new information, ruffling Tsuna's slightly too long hair._

"_Hush Daemon, don't encourage his bad behaviour," chided a voice from the other side of the table, and Tsuna looked bashfully up at the blond sitting there, whose eyes were narrowed a bit and whose tail was lashing back and forth behind him, showing his irritation._

"_I'm sorry, Primo," apologized Tsuna, looking down and almost shrinking in on himself, his ears pressed down in a show of submission. "I want to pay attention. Really. But it's so hard, with the headaches..."_

_The blond softened a bit at his descendant's words, letting out a sigh and saying, "I know you don't mean to, Tsunayoshi. But your education is important. Have you considered maybe shedding your disguise?"_

_Tsuna shied away a little more. "I can't!" he replied, feeling panicky just at the thought of it._

"_He's picked on enough as it is," said the satyr sitting on Tsuna's left, whose eyebrows were drawn together in a frown, hating the idea of anyone picking on little Tsunayoshi._

"_Lampo's right," replied another voice, a kitsune sitting beside Tsuna's great-great-great-grandfather. "Revealing that he's not human now would do more bad than good."_

"_I know," said his ancestor, slumping back into his seat a bit, his expression defeated. "But it's going to get out eventually, you know. And just think about it, if you no longer had to hide what you are, you would be able to defend yourself much more easily."_

_Tsuna opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get a word out, he felt something hard smack the back of his head, and suddenly, _he jerked awake.

Standing in front of his desk was his teacher, wearing a disapproving expression and holding the textbook, which was what he had presumably just hit Tsuna with.

"You know, Sawada, if I had marks as low as yours, I'd be paying attention instead of falling asleep in class."

Tsuna sat up, his face burning with embarrassment as the rest of the class tittered at his expense.

Giving Tsuna one last glare, the teacher returned to his place at the front of the class, already back to teaching his lesson.

And for the rest of the class, Tsuna did his best to pay attention, actually managing to learn a bit despite all the new information getting all tangled up in his head because of his pounding headache.

By the time lunch rolled around, Tsuna had completely forgotten about the morning's strangeness, and so was surprised when, as soon as the teacher had left the room to get some lunch, he suddenly found himself surrounded by his classmates.

"W-what's going on?" stammered the confused brunette.

"Are the rumours true?" demanded the apparent chosen spokesperson, an annoying kid named Ohmae, whose seat was across the room from Tsuna.

"What rumours?" asked Tsuna, confused, and his classmates immediately started murmuring amongst each other.

Ohmae's face contorted, as if he were about to start yelling, but before he could get a word out, another voice spoke up.

"You haven't heard?" asked someone quietly, and Tsuna's heart almost skipped a beat when he recognized the voice as belonging to Sasagawa Kyoko, who was standing to his side. Despite being a youkai herself, Kyoko was one of the most popular girls in school – she was sweet and smart and Tsuna had had a crush on her for longer than he could remember.

"I-I don't-" stammered Tsuna before Ohmae interrupted him, blurting out a sentence that made Tsuna's blood run cold.

"Everyone's been saying that you're a _youkai_," said the other teen, staring intently at Tsuna, as if trying to see any clues in his classmate's face.

"A-a youkai?" squeaked the blond, shrinking back.

"And not just any youkai," interrupted Ohmae's friend from beside him. "They're saying you're a descendant of _Giotto Vongola._"

Tsuna shrank back even more at this, wishing that the ground would just open up and swallow him whole.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"He's lying!" cried out one voice.

"I am not!" protested Tsuna, eyes darting around as he searched for an escape.

"Guys," started Kyoko, seeming unsure, "Maybe we should just leave him alone. I mean, if he doesn't want to tell us..."

"No way we're leaving him alone until we get our answer!" said Ohmae angrily, unexpectedly reaching out and yanking viciously at Tsuna's hair.

However, instead of jerking Tsuna's head forward like he expected, the smaller boy cried out as the pins keeping his wig in place were ripped out and both his wig and wig cap came off and his own dishevelled blond mane came tumbling out.

There were shocked gasps all around and Ohmae let out a triumphant, "I knew it!"

Tsuna cringed, screwing his eyes shut and curling his tail closer to his body under his clothes, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Ohmae, still gloating, tried to make a grab at the terrified blond, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"What the hell, Sasagawa?" he demanded, turning to look at the girl.

"You will not lay a hand on him," she hissed, glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

Ohmae drew back sharply, surprised at the normally gentle kitsune, whose ears were now flattened to her skull in a show of aggression as her two orange-tipped tails stood stiffly behind her.

He and the rest of the students backed away a little as she stepped in front of Tsuna protectively, glaring at them all.

After a few moments of hesitation, the four other youkai in the class stepped forward as well, forming a sort of shield around Tsuna.

One of them, Kurokawa Hana, helped Tsuna to his feet and began nudging him towards the door.

Tsuna allowed himself to be led, dazed as he was at everything that had happened.

Sasagawa and the other youkai students followed soon after them.

Out in the hallway, all the students stared at Tsuna, pointing and whispering loudly to each other, their whispering growing even more intense when he reached up and unwrapped the cloth from his head.

Despite the disastrous situation he now found himself in, Tsuna couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped him when his ears sprang free. Releasing his tail from its stranglehold around his waist, he ran his hand through the fur, trying to relieve the stiffness from the limb.

Kurokawa and the others were watching him with amusement in their eyes as they walked...somewhere.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" asked Kurokawa. Being a yuki-onna, she didn't know personally how painful it must have been for him to keep his ears and tail hidden, but she could imagine, considering she'd been in his position until a few years prior, and it had been hell trying to keep her emotions under control – every time time her mood swung to one of the extremes, the temperature around her would fluctuate.

Even now, three years after she had decided to let go of her secret, she still sometimes had to remind herself that it was _okay_ to let herself feel.

"Hai," replied Tsuna absentmindedly, his ears twitching slightly. "So...uh, where exactly are we going? And just how does the entire school know my secret?"

At his words, the other five immediately stopped and stared at him, their expressions incredulous.

"You mean you don't know?" asked one of the others.

"Know what?" asked Tsuna, starting to get a little annoyed.

"It's not only our school," said Kurokawa, her normally amused expression replaced by a serious one. "The entire country...no, the entire _world_ knows who you are now."

There was a beat of silence after her words.

Tsuna stared at her, trying to process what she'd just said.

And when it finally clicked in his mind, he let out an ear-piercing shriek.

"HIIIIEEEE! H-how- What- When- What the hell?" he asked, a thousand different questions bouncing around in his head, trying to find their way to his mouth.

"It was all over the news this morning, Sawada-kun," replied Sasagawa in a gentle voice, trying not to freak her classmate out any more than he already was.

By now, Tsuna was almost hyperventilating. This was his worst nightmare, only multiplied by about a million.

His great-great-great-grandfather, Sawada Ieyasu (a.k.a. Giotto Vongola), was perhaps one of the most famous men in history, right up there along with Gandhi and Mandela. He, along with six of his closest friends, had started the Vongola, an organization with the sole aim of bringing peace and equality between the humans and the youkai (also known as spirits in many other parts of the world).

Upon passing on leadership of the Vongola to his cousin Ricardo, Giotto and his guardians had completely dropped off the face of the Earth, leading many to believe that they had been assassinated.

As Giotto had not had any children at the time of his retirement, the fact that Tsuna was a direct descendant of his was, of course, huge news, especially considering the fact that the current leader of the Vongola had no heirs.

Despite Tsuna's protests, despite the fact that he was just a sixteen-year-old boy, despite him being, for all intents and purposes, useless, he would be held up as a beacon of hope. Spirits all around the world would look to _him_ to fight for _their_ rights.

Everyone would expect him to be like his great-great-great-grand father.

...Or no.

They would expect him to _be_ his great-great-great-grandfather. With all the benevolence and charisma and fierceness and respect that entailed. People would look at him and they would see the descendant of Giotto Vongola – no one would see Tsunayoshi Sawada. And that was exactly what Tsuna had been wanting to avoid.

"Sawada-kun?" asked Sasagawa, sounding worried. "Are you alright?"

"Of course not!" cried the distressed blond, almost hyperventilating at this point. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen to me, now that they know who I am?"

"They?" asked Kurokawa, raising one eyebrow.

"The Vongola, the press, the social justice warriors, our classmates, you pick! Why are they all focusing on me, anyways? My dad is also a descendant of Giotto!"

"It's because no one knew what Giotto Vongola looked like. But there _are_ portraits of Sawada Ieyasu around," replied one of their other youkai classmates who had followed them, a boy named Enoki.

"What does that have to do with me?" protested Tsuna, and Kurokawa couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Because you look exactly like him, idiot!" she snapped. "And you _know_ how people are. You're already being called the second coming of Vongola Shodai."

This was the last straw. Tsuna really didn't think he could take any more of this, and so he immediately turned to find the nearest bathroom to hide in.

Before he could get very far, though, he almost bumped into a suited man who had just turned the corner behind them.

He had two devastatingly sharp horns protruding from his fedora and large, leathery wings were folded neatly on his back. His tail was trailing along behind him, not even looking as if he were worried that it would get trodden on.

Which was safe assumption – there was absolutely no doubt just what this dangerous stranger was, and all the students had backed up against the wall to give him as much room as possible, not wanting to get in his way.

Recognizing the stranger, Tsuna stumbled back a few steps, wondering what the hell _he_ could be doing _here_.

"R-Reborn?" he asked, his eyes wide, and every other head in the hallway snapped around to look at him in astonishment. Even Sasagawa and his other classmates were staring at him, wondering just how Sawada Tsunayoshi, of all people, could know a _dragon_.

"Tsunayoshi," he said in a silken voice, smiling dangerously down at the sixteen-year-old. "You have been excused from the rest of your classes because of an important meeting with Vongola Nono. I have come to escort you."

There were surprised gasps all around at these words as the rest of the students whispered to each other, wondering just what the hell one of the most important people in the world wanted with Dame-Tsuna.

"_What?_" squeaked Tsuna, just as surprised as anyone else. "Grandpa's _here_? In _Japan?_"

The whispering grew even louder, but Reborn ignored them all, half-turning as if to walk away.

"He is. And we'd best not keeping him waiting, Tsunayoshi."

His voice was just as pleasant as before, but there was an undercurrent of warning there, and Tsuna hastened to do as the man had said.

"Hai, Reborn-san! I will just get my things from the classroom and-"

"They have already been collected," interjected Reborn as he turned and walked away, signalling with his tail for Tsuna to follow him.

And with no other choice, Tsuna did, throwing an apologetic look back at his classmates, who were still standing where they had been, looking stunned.

As the two exited the building Tsuna could feel the other students' eyes on him as he and Reborn walked towards the awaiting limo, which was proudly sporting the Vongola crest.

He could feel those eyes right up until he had stepped into the luxurious vehicle, at which point he completely forgot about them in favour of what he saw in front of him.

"Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun," said the man now sitting opposite him, and Tsuna almost let out a surprised shriek.

"G-grandfather," he exclaimed, trying his best not to stutter. The blond had assumed that the elder male would be waiting for them at a hotel or something, not in the limo.

Nono just chuckled at his surprise. "It's good to see you again, Tsunayoshi-kun," he said, his voice gentle and his smile even gentler. There would be enough time for the two of them to discuss serious matters once they had arrived at the hotel. For now, he was just an old man catching up with the boy he looked upon as his grandson. "How have you been?"

Allowing himself to relax a bit, Tsuna sank back into his seat, casting his eyes downward.

"I've been alright, grandfather," he answered, not knowing what else to say.

"That's good," replied the man. "And how has your blog been going?"

Tsuna immediately looked up at these words, a little enthusiasm entering his eyes, and Timoteo had to hold back a chuckle. He knew that young Tsunayoshi was extremely proud of his blog, and he had every reason to be – it was one of the most popular in Japan, and was slowly gaining popularity, even in other countries, where his posts were being translated and shared. He also knew that the boy hardly ever had a chance to speak about it – he, Reborn, Iemitsu, and Nana were the only ones who knew that Tsuna was the author, and seeing as Iemitsu was never around and Nana really didn't understand just how impressive Tsuna's blog was and therefore wasn't very interested in it, Tsuna had probably not had anyone to talk to about it.

Timoteo, of course, read every single post, and made sure to always leave a comment, so Tsuna knew he was free to rant and expand on past posts without confusing the older man, and he was even able discuss with his grandfather the next post he was thinking of writing.

Reborn, meanwhile, sat quietly to the side, paying attention to the conversation but not contributing. He also followed Tsuna's blog and though he wouldn't admit it even under pain of death, he was a bit impressed at how the young teen had carved out a niche for himself. It was the main reason he had agreed to Nono's request without complaint.

Sawada Tsunayoshi had potential.

And it would be Reborn's job to help him fulfil that potential.

* * *

By the time the group of three arrived at the hotel, Tsuna had relaxed tremendously, and he was starting to remember just why he had always adored his grandfather so much. He was one of the few people in the world that actually _listened _to him.

The two continued chatting all the way up to Timoteo's hotel suite and as a result, Tsuna was able to ignore all the stares that were being sent his way by the other guests.

It wasn't every day one got to see Timoteo Vongola in the flesh, and the fact that he was currently being accompanied by one of his closest advisers and his rumoured heir didn't help.

No one dared approach the three however, and so the attention was tolerated.

Once they had arrived at their private floor, Reborn noticed Tsuna tamp down on his enthusiasm and grow serious, and the dragon couldn't help a small smile of approval.

So the child knew when to be serious. Good.

Timoteo gave Tsuna one affectionate pat on the head before also adopting a serious countenance, and opening the door to his suite, where his guardians had all been waiting for them.

Their conversation fell away as soon as they saw their sky and the child accompanying him.

Bowing low, Tsuna greeted them.

"It is good to see you again, Nougat-san, Brabanters-san, Nie-san, Visconti-san, Ganauche-san, Croquant-san."

Small, affectionate smiles flitted across the guardians' faces, and they nodded their acknowledgement.

"Sit down, Tsunayoshi-kun," ordered Timoteo as he himself took his place beside his right-hand man.

Tsuna hesitated for just a moment before finally taking the only available seat left, right across from Timoteo.

"Now, I assume you know why we are here?" asked Timoteo, and Tsuna felt himself tense up again as he was reminded of the mess he now found himself in.

Seeing the younger male's reaction, Timoteo nodded.

"You must understand, Tsunayoshi-kun, that the Sawada family's heritage has always been one of the Vongola's most closely guarded secrets. The fact that your father revealed this secret to my guardians and me in the first place was seen as an act of utmost trust, and we have always done our best not to betray that trust. I want you to know that not one person in this room would ever dream of revealing it to the world."

All throughout this little speech, Timoteo made sure to maintain eye contact with Tsuna, urging the boy to believe him.

The fact that he was so concerned that Tsuna might think he had been the one to reveal the secret made Tsuna feel warm inside.

Breaking eye contact, Tsuna cast his gaze to the ground, saying, "I know you would never do that, grandfather."

There was a small sigh when he said this (a sigh of relief maybe?), and when next Tsuna looked up, the affectionate smiles had returned to Timoteo and his guardians' faces – even Reborn's lips were tilted upwards slightly.

Tsuna cast his gaze down again, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Thinking quickly to alleviate the silence, Tsuna asked, "I-if none of us revealed the secret though, who did?"

Ganauche snorted at this, sounding decidedly unamused.

"Some idiot history student was going through a bunch of old records that were about to be thrown out, and somehow discovered Giotto and his guardians' travel documents and tickets for the boat trip from the mainland to Japan. After that it didn't take long for him to find out that they had changed their names and unearth a Sawada family tree."

Tsuna groaned upon hearing this, burying his face in his hands.

Of all the stupid ways to be found out.

There were a few moments of silence as the ninth generation guardians allowed Tsuna to feel sorry for himself, before Timoteo shifted in his seat a bit, and Tsuna immediately focused his attention back on the older man. He could tell something important was coming.

"Tsunayoshi. You know we didn't just summon you here to talk about how you were revealed."

Tsuna nodded; he had expected that.

"What happened may have been unfortunate, but there's no way we can reverse it – all we can do now is damage control."

Tsuna nodded again – he was starting to think he knew exactly where this was going, and he was sure he didn't like it one bit.

"As you know, Tsunayoshi-kun, my sons have recently all passed away," stated Timoteo, his voice hitching the slightest bit, although no one acknowledged it. He paused for a moment after this sentence, clearing his throat and biting back his emotion

"So Tsunayoshi-kun..." he said once he was more composed, "would you like to be my new heir?"

Tsuna sucked in a breath as his suspicions were proved true. He didn't say anything at first, trying to collect his swirling thoughts.

"M-my father," he blurted out, and Timoteo shook his head in response.

Leaning forward to prop his elbows in his knees, Timoteo stared straight into Tsuna's eyes, not allowing him to look away for even a second.

"Your secret being revealed and the public's reaction to it isn't the only reason I'm asking you to succeed me, Tsunayoshi-kun. As I'm sure you're aware, the fight for equality has risen to new heights in the past decade. Thanks to the internet, many people have found it easier to voice their opinions," and here he paused to give Tsuna a meaningful look, "And the media has picked up on it. Youkai are quickly gaining more acceptance, but our fight is far from over. And in this rapidly changing world, the Vongola needs a leader who will be able to change with it. Your father is a great man, and he has done much to aid our cause, but he is from the older generation. We need someone younger."

"And what makes you think I'm that person?" asked Tsuna, leaning backwards. "I'm completely useless! I can't lead an international organization!"

Timoteo smiled softly at the boy he viewed as a grandson.

"You judge yourself too harshly, Tsunayoshi-kun. You know I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you had potential."

And Tsuna did know that. Timoteo had never been the kind of man to give out hollow compliments.

"Think of all the people who read your blog," said Timoteo, "The things you say connects to them. Your words give them hope that there is someone out there who understands, someone who is fighting the same battle as them."

This made Tsuna look up – he'd never really thought of it that way. His blog was just a way for him to get his feelings down. Sure he knew that a lot of people followed him, but he'd never really imagined that he actually had an impact on others.

"Now just imagine how many _more _people you'll be able to reach as the leader of the Vongola," said Timoteo, his eyes lighting up with passion. "Imagine how many people you will be able to inspire. People will look up to you."

The longer Tsuna listened to his grandfather, the more he felt...something grow inside him. Was it...could it possibly be excitement?

Then he remembered what Kurokawa had called him; the second coming of Vongola Shodai, she'd said, and he felt the excitement die.

"They won't look up to _me_," he said, not meeting anyone's eyes. "They'll look up to Giotto Vongola's descendant. Everyone will look at me, and they will see his shadow."

"And what is wrong with that?" asked Timoteo. "They will still _look_. And they will _listen_. But that is not enough to hold their attention. They will only _continue_ to listen if they deem you worthy of their attention."

He was quiet for a moment, allowing his words to sink in.

Finally, a sigh escaped his lips, and he said, "You don't have to give your answer now, Tsunayoshi-kun. Just take a while and think it over, yes?"

Tsuna nodded, thankful that the discussion was over for now. His mind was swimming from everything that had happened today and he wanted nothing more than to just go home and pass out on his bed.

Noticing that his grandson was starting to get a bit antsy, Timoteo smiled and stood up, his guardians following suit.

Tsuna got up as well, wondering if maybe this was his cue to leave.

Before he could move an inch though, Ganauche threw an arm around his shoulders and smirked down at him, saying, "Now that the boring part is over, I seem to remember a little brat owing me a video game re-match, yes?"

Immediately feeling all his worries pushed aside, Tsuna returned the smirk, saying, "You're on, old man."

* * *

Tsuna spent the next few hours at the hotel, playing video games with his grandfather's youngest guardian and catching up with the rest. He'd even somehow managed to squeeze an interview out of Timoteo for his blog.

By the time he was driven home several hours later, it was way past the time he usually got home, and as soon as he stepped in the door to his house, his mother attacked him with a fierce hug.

"Oh, Tsu-kun I was so worried!" she fretted. "First, your face was all over the news all day today, and then you didn't come home from school on time! I was so worried that something had happened to you and-"

"Mom, mom, mom. It's okay! I'm fine," said Tsuna reassuringly, pulling out of his mother's embrace and planting his hands on her shoulders. "Nothing happened, okay? Grandpa sent someone to pick me up from school so that he could talk to me about things, and I kind of forgot to call you to let you know I'd be late."

Nana seemed to calm down upon hearing that he had been with Timoteo, and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank goodness," she said, holding a hand over her heart. "Next time, you be sure to call me, alright?"

"Hai," said Tsuna, smiling sheepishly at his mother.

Returning the smile, she nudged him towards the staircase, saying, "You go on up and get washed. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Hai!" said Tsuna again, throwing out a mock salute before turning and hurrying upstairs, leaving his mom behind to shake her head in exasperation.

* * *

That night, after Tsuna had written up and posted a quick little rant on his blog, he fell into bed, feeling completely drained from the events of the day.

Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he had fallen asleep, _and had woken up in a cozy little room, standing in front of four sofas situated in a square, facing in towards each other._

_Before he even had time to look for a seat, someone had grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit beside them._

_Wrapping his descendant in a warm embrace, Giotto Vongola nuzzled the boy affectionately._

"_Tsunayoshi," he greeted, purring low in his throat._

"_It's good to see you too, Giotto-san," said Tsuna, returning the affectionate greeting and wondering just what had put his many times great-grandfather in such a good mood._

"_What part of your timeline are you at?" G asked curiously from Tsuna's other side, and Tsuna felt his good mood dissipate._

_The other occupants of the room seemed to sense his sudden shift in mood and became worried._

"_May of my sixteenth year. The last time I saw you was when I fell asleep in class this morning, and in that short span of time, my classmates have found out that I'm not human, the __**world**__ has found out that I'm great-grandpa's descendant, and Vongola Nono has asked me to become his heir."_

_There were gasps all around as he spoke, and Giotto's hold on him tightened._

"_How on Earth did all that happen in just half a day?" asked Lampo, sounding dumbfounded, and Tsuna quickly recounted what Ganauche had told him earlier._

_Giotto groaned when his descendant had finished speaking._

"_You, my dear, have the worst luck I have ever heard of," he said, absentmindedly running his fingers through Tsuna's hair, working out a few tangles, and Tsuna pouted – the gesture was too similar to grooming in his opinion, and only _cubs_ were groomed by their parents, or great-great-great-grandparents in this particular case._

"_I know," bemoaned Tsuna, leaning into Giotto. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"_

"_You're supposed to stop being so weak," said Alaude, and all heads snapped towards him._

_Giotto was bristling, as if he were about to snap at his guardian for being so rude, but Alaude ignored him, his eyes fixated instead on Tsuna._

"_There is nothing but futility in feeling sorry for yourself, so stop your complaining and just decide what you're going to do. You have two options here. You can accept Timoteo's offer to be his heir, or you can deny it. If you accept, then that's good for you, but if you deny, how long do you think people are going to talk about it? A few months? Maybe a year or two? That's not much, considering you've survived your peers' bullying for sixteen years. People will eventually move on and focus on more interesting things, and you will be free to live your life."_

_Tsuna stared at the older man in surprise._

_It all sounded so...simple when he put it that way._

_He mulled it over for one quiet moment, before asking, "And what will you guys think if I decide not to become Vongola Decimo?"_

_Alaude snorted, sitting back. "It doesn't really make much difference to us. We're dead, remember?"_

_Giotto snorted at his words, reaching over to smack his friend's head – not hard enough to cause pain, but enough to let him know that he had stepped out of line._

"_We'll support whatever decision you make," said a gently smiling Asari, who was sitting on the sofa across from Tsuna and Giotto._

"_Just remember that it's your life to do with as you wish, Tsunayoshi-kun," said Daemon, aiming what was apparently supposed to be a reassuring smile at Tsuna._

_And after that, they moved onto much lighter topics._

_For the rest of the night, however, that first conversation hung thick in the air, and Tsuna's mind kept getting dragged back to it._

* * *

When Tsuna woke up the next morning, he was momentarily stumped on what to do.

Normally, this was when he would be pinning down his ears, but now that the _entire world_ knew who he was, he really didn't see the point in it.

It was terrifying, though, the thought of going to school without his wig – over the years, it had become almost like armour for him, a shield. And without it, he felt almost naked.

Because he didn't have to spend time arranging his wig, Tsuna was downstairs a lot earlier than usual, and Nana was still making his lunch, talking rather animatedly to someone who was sitting at their dinner table.

Tsuna, who hadn't been aware that they would be expecting guests, was shocked for all of five seconds before that shock turned to dismay as he realized just who was sitting at their kitchen table.

With a sigh of resignation, he walked into the scene, saying, "Good morning mom, good morning Reborn-san."

"Good morning, Tsu-kun!" greeted his mother chirpily. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess," was the non-committal reply as he took a seat in front of Reborn, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Good morning, Tsunayoshi-kun," he said in a perfectly pleasant voice.

"Is there a particular reason you're here, Reborn-san?" asked Tsuna, and the older male's smile widened.

"Nono sent me to make sure you got to school safely," he said, and Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed.

Reborn, sensing his confusion, snorted and pointed towards the nearest window, which had its curtains drawn...just like every other window in the house, Tsuna was just beginning to notice.

"You didn't honestly think that you could leave school in a Vongola limo, and not suffer any consequences?" asked the dragon, and Tsuna felt the blood drain from his face.

"No," he said in abject horror; he hadn't thought it would happen so soon.

"Yes," confirmed Reborn with a grimace, and Tsuna let his head fall to the table.

"I hate my life," he said. "You know, I think I might just become a hermit. Hermits don't have to deal with nosey reporters, right?"

Reborn, snorted, seeming amused.

"You will have to get used to them eventually, Tsunayoshi. Especially if you decide to become the Vongola Decimo. Privacy will become a thing of the past."

"And what if I decide I don't want to be Decimo?" asked Tsuna, and Reborn just stared at him.

And stared.

And stared.

And finally, Tsuna broke down, saying, "Okay fine, so maybe I do want to kind of maybe be Vongola Decimo."

Reborn smirked triumphantly at this, but Tsuna almost didn't notice, as he'd suddenly realized that his mother had stopped whatever she was doing and was standing stock still, her back tense.

"Mom?" asked Tsuna, suddenly worried, and she immediately continued making his lunch.

"It's nothing, Tsu-kun. I'm just...I'm very happy that you've finally found what you want to do in life. I always knew you'd do great things," she said, though she didn't sound at all happy.

In fact, she almost sounded as if she were about to start crying.

Tsuna locked gazes with Reborn, wondering if the dragon had any explanations.

Raising an eyebrow, as if surprised that Tsuna hadn't understood, Reborn mouthed, "Italy."

And suddenly, it all made horrifying sense to Tsuna.

The Vongola was based in Italy.

And Tsuna had just agreed to be the Vongola's heir.

Which meant he would probably have to move to Italy.

And leave behind his mother.

Tsuna opened his mouth, as if he were about to say something, but Reborn silently shook his head, and Tsuna reluctantly remained quiet.

"Nono will be very pleased to hear that you have agreed to his offer, Tsunayoshi," said Reborn, claiming Tsuna's attention. "And he understands that it will be hard, transitioning to your new lifestyle, so he has agreed to my request to have the first month of your training here in Japan, so that you have time to learn a bit of Italian and discuss things with your friends and family before moving."

Reborn was now staring at him, as if urging him to understand something, but try as he might, Tsuna had no idea what the man was trying to say.

Finally, Reborn gave up, rolling his eyes as he stood up and saying, "Hurry and finish with your breakfast, Tsunayoshi. If we do not leave soon, you will be late for school."

Catching sight of the time, Tsuna hurried to swallow the last of his breakfast, and gave his mother a peck on the cheek.

"Bye, kaa-san," he said. "When I get back from school, we need to have a talk."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Nana kissed the top of her son's head and sent him off with a smile.

And as soon as the front door had closed behind him and Reborn, she finally let her tears escape onto her cheeks.

Her Tsu-kun was leaving her behind, just like his father had.

* * *

Just as Reborn had warned, the minute the two of them exited the house, they were ambushed by flashing lights and a swarm of reporters, each of them talking over each other and asking him thousands of questions.

Tsuna looked around, feeling overwhelmed, but just as fast as they had swarmed Reborn and him, they drew back as well.

Tsuna was confused for a moment before looking up, and realizing just why Timoteo had sent Reborn as his escort.

The dragon's pupils were narrowed to slits as he glared around at all the reporters, and there were delicate wisps of smoke curling out from between his lips. His tail was lashing dangerously back and forth behind him, and the reporters were especially careful to stay away from it and its dangerously sharp spine ridges.

Noticing that Tsuna was staring at him, Reborn raised an eyebrow.

"You're a lion," he said to his soon-to-be student, "And what's more, you're an _Alpha lion_. Actlike it_._"

Tsuna found he was quite taken aback at these words.

All his life, between his father and Giotto, Tsuna had never even thought to consider himself an _alpha_.

But now that Reborn mentioned it, he realized that yes, he was an alpha.

Or rather, he would become one soon enough.

Of course, he was just an heir at the moment, but becoming Vongola Decimo meant that he would soon have to find himself his own guardians; his own _pride_.

Reborn nodded in satisfaction as he saw the realization dawn in the younger male's eyes.

"Straighten your back and set your shoulders," he said, and Tsuna did as he was told. His face became set in a firm glare, and his lips pulled back a bit to reveal his canines, which were slightly longer than a normal humans, but much much sharper.

The reporters, who had begun to inch forwards again slowly immediately drew back, clearing a path for them.

Tsuna walked down the middle of them, trying not to flinch in surprise every time another camera flashed.

When they were finally free of the swarm and it looked as if the reporters were about to start following them, Reborn laid a hand at the small of Tsuna's back, nudging him forward as if telling him not to stop, before turning back to fix the reporters with a steely glare.

All of them froze, complete silence descending upon the group.

"The Vongola will be holding a press conference at the end of the month in order to address whatever questions you may have in regards to Sawada Tsunayoshi-san. Until then, we request you not disturb him. Unless, of course, you wish to deal personally with me."

This last sentence was accompanied by a chilling smile that left all the reporters scrambling to pack up their things and escape as fast as possible.

Satisfied that they had received the message, Reborn turned to follow his young charge, who had continued walking, as if these events were not even worth his attention.

"From now on," stated Reborn once they were the only ones left on the street, "In everything you do, you must remember that, as the heir of the Vongola, your actions reflect on the Family itself, and so you must accordingly."

"And just how am I supposed to know how to 'act accordingly'?" asked Tsuna. "Just yesterday morning I was a normal high schooler! I don't know anything about...well, anything!"

Smacking the teen on the back of his head, Reborn scolded, "The Vongola head does not whine. And as for not knowing how to act, that's what I'm here for."

"You?" asked Tsuna, not really liking the smirk on the dragon's face.

"Vongola Nono has assigned me as your tutor," he said, and Tsuna's eyes widened.

"No..." he whispered. Tsuna had known Reborn practically his entire life and, even though he didn't often exchange words with him, Tsuna knew well enough to know that Reborn was a _monster_. And not just in the literal sense, either.

Reborn's teaching methods were absolutely notorious in the spirits' world – many a student had begged their families to hire them new tutors, not able to stand the spartan training that Reborn put them through, but those who had been able to survive his training (few as they were) had become some of the best known leaders their Families had ever seen.

Dino Chiavarone was one rather well-known example.

"From now on, I will be accompanying you almost every hour of the day," said his new tutor, "The arrangements have already been made with your school, to allow me to sit in on your classes, and to make sure your atrocious studying habits are corrected."

"What?" demanded Tsuna, though it sounded more like a shriek. "How can that have already happened? I only just agreed to be the heir this morning!"

"A Don must always be prepared," instructed Reborn in what Tsuna was beginning to recognize as his "teaching" voice.

"What if I had said no?" demanded Tsuna, and the older male shrugged.

Reborn looked down at him, his eyebrow raised.

"You wouldn't have," he said with the utmost certainty.

"And how do you know?" demanded Tsuna, a little annoyed.

"Because you're Dame-Tsuna," replied Reborn, staring ahead. "You love to complain and always look for the easy way out, but when it comes right down to it, if you think you can make a difference, then you will give everything you have to help."

Tsuna stared at his tutor, surprised that he was actually hearing...approval in the man's voice.

Noticing his student's gaze, he snapped, "A Don does not gape. Are you trying to catch flies?"

Snapping his mouth shut, Tsuna looked ahead, wondering if maybe something was wrong with him, because he was almost starting to think that just maybe, having Reborn as a tutor wouldn't be all that bad.

* * *

Despite being somewhat ready for it this time, Tsuna still felt strange when he arrived at his school, and all heads turned to watch him pass.

The whispering was much more intense than it had been the day before, but at least no one had attempted to beat him up yet.

"Confidence," murmured Reborn under his breath, his lips barely moving, and Tsuna stood straighter, trying to seem sure of himself.

Upon arriving at his classroom, Tsuna noticed that, despite being earlier than he usually was, he was still one of the last few to arrive.

Everyone looked up when he walked through the door, and Sasagawa smiled at him, looking as if she wanted to greet him, but stopped herself when Reborn followed him through the door.

Tsuna, a little sad that his tentative almost-friendship with her and the rest of the youkai in the class had ended before it could have truly begun, headed to his seat without really looking at anyone.

It was probably better this way, he told himself. He would be leaving for Italy next month, so it would probably be better for him not to forge any friendships that would be doomed to end before long. Less pain for everyone involved.

Once Tsuna had taken his seat, Reborn went to the back of the classroom, where a chair was already waiting for him.

For the entire morning, Tsuna could feel his tutor's eyes on him, but they weren't the only ones. He could feel most of his classmates watching him out of the corner of their eyes at least once throughout the class.

The one that seemed to be most interested in him, it seemed, was Yamamoto Takeshi, the baseball team's ace. He spent the entire class staring at Tsuna, not even trying to hide it, and even when lunch rolled around, and everyone gathered in groups with their friends to talk and try not to stare at Tsuna, Yamamoto kept staring.

A few times, it even looked as if he wanted to approach Tsuna, but by the time lunch ended, the only person who had openly acknowledged Tsuna's existence was Reborn, who had come over to scold his student for not properly paying attention to his lessons.

The afternoon went much the same as the morning, with his classmates staring at him every few seconds, but no one making any moves to actually talk to him.

Even the teachers, who usually made every excuse they could to ridicule him, didn't even look at him.

By the time Tsuna had packed up his things and left the classroom with Reborn, he found that he had not talked to a single soul the entire day, save for his tutor.

They were halfway back to the Sawada residence before Reborn decided to address the issue.

"They are afraid of you," he said, as if in answer to a question Tsuna had not asked.

Tsuna didn't reply.

"They are remembering every mean thing they have ever said to you, or done to you, and they are asking themselves what they will end up paying for it."

Again, Tsuna didn't reply, and the two lapsed into the same silence as before, as if Reborn had not said a single thing.

Tsuna was arguing with himself, asking himself why he was so upset – it wasn't as if any of those people in the class had ever been nice to him. Why should he care if they were to ignore him now? At least they weren't beating him up or ridiculing him anymore!

But the stares and whispered conversations behind his back were almost as bad as the taunting.

When they arrived at the Sawada residence, Tsuna was still lost in his thoughts, and he almost did not notice Reborn stop outside the gates.

"Reborn?" he asked when he reached the front door, and noticed that the dragon was no longer at his side.

"Nono will be leaving on his flight back to Italy tomorrow morning," said Reborn by way of explanation. "Before then, I must report to him your decision, and discuss some other important matters. I will return this evening. Take that time to discuss things with your mother."

Tsuna nodded in understanding, feeling grateful that they would have some privacy for what was sure to be a rather emotional talk.

"And remember," said Reborn before he turned to leave, "Don's do not abandon their family."

Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"There is always work to do around the headquarters," Reborn tried again.

Tsuna looked even more confused at this, wondering what that had to do with anything.

Rolling his eyes at his student's denseness, Reborn decided to just spell it out for him.

"Your mother is also welcome to come to Italy with us," he said, and Tsuna's eyes widened dramatically.

Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Despite how air headed she may seem, his mother was an extremely intelligent person, and he was sure the Vongola would welcome her with open arms.

In fact, the only reason she hadn't joined her husband in his work overseas long ago was for Tsuna's sake.

His lips stretched into a wide smile, Tsuna thanked his tutor and turned to enter the house, his mood much lighter than it had been a moment ago.

Reborn sighed in exasperation, but watched his student go with the ghost of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

He may be a bit rough around the edges, but there was no doubt that Sawada Tsunayoshi was exactly what the Vongola needed in their next leader.

* * *

Tsuna found his mother in the living room, reading a book as she waited for him, having already finished all her chores around the house.

Careful not to make any noises, Tsuna snuck up behind her on silent feet and, when he was right up behind her, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Boo!"

Nana, who had been completely immersed in her story, jumped, startled.

"Tsu-kun!" she chastised, trying to look disapprovingly at her laughing son, but ultimately failing.

"Tadaima," he said, rubbing his cheek affectionately against hers and hugging her tightly.

"Okaeri," she replied, kissing her son on the cheek and, feeling a bit mischievous, she grabbed his arm and pulled him over the back of the sofa she was sitting on.

Letting out a startled yowl, Tsuna flailed his arms to try and regain his balance, but ended up landing on his shoulder on the sofa.

"Mom!" he cried, trying to glare up at his mother, who was clutching at her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

Stifling her giggles, the Sawada matriarch cupped both her hands around her son's face and placed a delicate kiss on his nose.

By now, both Sawadas were in a much better mood than they had been all day, and so they were quiet for a few minutes, trying to preserve the happy feeling.

"So, did you have a good day?" asked Nana, when they could put off the conversation no longer.

Immediately, Tsuna sobered up, casting his gaze downwards when he remembered what had happened that day.

Shrugging, he said, "It was okay, I guess."

"No one bothered you?" asked Nana, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear.

Pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them, Tsuna snorted.

"Not at all," he said.

"Then?" prompted Nana.

"They completely ignored me," he said, not looking up.

"Ah," said Nana, "That's never fun."

Shrugging in reply, Tsuna said, "Well, I'm going to be leaving for Italy soon anyways, so it's not like it'd make any sense for me to make friends with anyone."

"And you...you're absolutely sure that's what you want to do?" asked Nana haltingly. "You're not just agreeing because you feel you have to?"

Tsuna contemplated this for a moment, wondering if that wasn't what he was doing after all, but in the end, he said, "No. I...at first, I thought that there was no way anyone could actually expect me, Dame-Tsuna, of all people, to lead something as important as the Vongola. I thought surely they must be out of their minds. But you know, then I saw how serious grandpa and Reborn and everyone were about me becoming the Decimo. And I started to think that, if these amazing men think I can do it...then maybe there's a chance I can. And then I realized that I wanted it. I wanted it so badly. I just...can you imagine it, kaa-san? Can you imagine a world where it never even crosses a child's mind to hide what they are? Where they don't have to worry that they're going to be ostracized for something that isn't even their fault?"

Watching her son talk, Nana couldn't help but think how much he sounded like his father, like the man she had fallen in love with.

Smiling sadly, she took his hand in hers, marvelling at how they were already much bigger than her own.

"I can imagine it," she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "When I was younger, it was the world I'd always hoped I'd raise you in."

They were both silent for a while, each trying to gather their emotions.

"So," said Nana finally, "It looks like my little Tsu-kun is going to be leaving the nest soon. Arara, I don't know what I'm going to do without anyone to nag."

Tsuna didn't reply at first, merely searching his mother's face.

"You could always come with me," he said quietly, causing his mother's eyes to widen.

"I-I don't...Tsu-kun, what are you saying?" she asked, flustered. "There's no way I could..."

She trailed off, not able to form any coherent sentences.

"You could!" insisted Tsuna, squeezing his mother's hand. "You're really smart, and you're so good at so many things! I'm sure grandpa Timoteo would be happy to have you around to help out with things! And just think! You could see dad more often! The three of us could live together, as a family, like when I was a kid!"

Nana still looked unsure, but Tsuna could see that she was starting to waver. Tsuna knew his mother missed his father a lot – a week-long visit every few months was simply not enough time.

"Oh Tsu-kun, it's not that simple," she said, pulling her hand out of his to wring both her hands together in her lap.

"Can you at least think about it?" asked Tsuna, looking at his mother with pleading eyes, and Nana slowly felt her resistance crumbling.

"I...Fine. I will think about it."

Tsuna's expression immediately brightened, and he hugged his mother tightly, "Thank you so much, kaa-san!"

"I won't necessarily say yes," she warned him, but it didn't do a thing to assuage her son's happiness.

"That's fine, that's fine!" he assured. "As long as you properly think about it. Anyways, I'm going to go do my homework now. Don't forget to think, alright?"

Huffing in exasperation, Nana rolled her eyes and shooed him off, saying, "Hai, hai, I will. Now off to your room. That homework isn't going to do itself."

* * *

That first day with Reborn set the pattern for the weeks that followed.

Tsuna would walk to school with Reborn in the mornings, be completely ignored by all his peers at school (it sometimes seemed as if Yamamoto wanted to approach him, though it never happened in the end), and would go home to have Reborn cram Italian grammar and proper etiquette down his throat.

It didn't take Tsuna long to get used to the new routine his life had taken, and after a while, he found he was actually kind of starting to enjoy it.

Yes, it was still a bit lonely, not having anyone acknowledge his presence, but his marks had improved quite a bit now that he didn't have the headaches to distract him and Reborn, though terrifying most of the time, had actually turned out to be pretty interesting company, when he was in the mood for it.

On one day, two and a half weeks into his lessons, Tsuna came home to find his mother in the kitchen, holding the phone far from her ear as his father's excited voice poured through.

It didn't take long for Tsuna to realize just what had made his father so happy, and when he did, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and he had to stop himself from vocalizing his joy and instead settled on exchanging a happy smile with his tutor.

Tsuna didn't even notice the purring that was emanating from his throat until his after his mother had hung up and turned to look at him, an amused smile gracing her features.

Surging forward to gather his mom into a hug, Tsuna kissed her cheek in greeting before asking, "So you've decided to come to Italy too?"

"Well, I can hardly let my precious little Tsu-kun go by himself, now can I?" she cooed. "Who else is going to nag at you to clean your room or wash your fur properly?"

"I'm sure I could find someone," replied Tsuna cheekily, causing his mother to gasp and put on a mock injured expression.

"You would actually consider replacing me?" she asked. "After all I've done for you?"

"Not so much replacing," corrected Tsuna, "More like substituting."

Laughing at this, Nana smacked her son lightly on the back.

"Just look at what an ungrateful son I have," she bemoaned, looking to Reborn for sympathy.

"Don't worry, Nana. I'll be sure to punish him accordingly for his disrespect," was Reborn's pleasant reply, and Nana erupted into peals of laughter when she saw Tsuna's horrified expression.

Quickly deciding that now would be a good time to make his escape, Tsuna excused himself to go finish his homework – Reborn may have seemed to be only joking, but when it came to him, one could honestly never know.

* * *

The week and a half after Nana's decision to re-locate to Italy with her son flew by quickly, and before Tsuna even knew it, he was sitting in front of a microphone, staring out at the room full of reporters that his grandpa was currently addressing.

They were all hanging onto Timoteo's every word, and every once in a while, one of them would send a glance Tsuna's way.

The young teen's stomach was twisted into tight little knots and his hands were sweaty, and he was finding it hard to breathe.

Despite all of Reborn's efforts to prepare him for this press conference (the first of many in his future career as the head of the Vongola), Tsuna couldn't help but feel that all of it had gone to waste.

He couldn't remember a single thing he had learned, and the closer they got to the end of Timoteo's speech and the beginning of the Q&A session, the more Tsuna felt like he was about to throw up.

When the time inevitably came for Timoteo to say those dreaded words ("Who would like to have the first question?), Tsuna felt the eyes of every reporter in attendance immediately turn to him.

The first reporter to speak was a young female who looked almost as nervous as Tsuna was.

She was a newbie who wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place – her co-worker had originally been the one that was chosen for this super high-profile job, but when he had been involved in an accident the day before and there was no one else around to take his place, she had been the one that was sent.

Startled that she had been chosen to ask the first question, the young woman stood up and looked at the only other person in the room who looked even more nervous than she herself was.

"My question is for Tsunayoshi-kun," she said, and those nervous brown eyes turned on her. "What made you decide you wanted to take over the Vongola after Timoteo-san?"

The young heir hesitated for a moment, seeming quite tongue-tied, but with a reassuring hand on his shoulder from Reborn, he seemed to gain a bit of confidence.

Clearing his throat, he looked right at her as he answered, saying, "Growing up, the Vongola has always played a rather large part in my life, even more than it has for other youkai. You see, my father actually happens to be the Young Lion of the Vongola."

There were surprised gasps from the audience when he said this, and he paused for a moment to wait for the commotion to quiet. He seemed to be relaxing a bit now.

"And because of that, I have always had a rather close relationship with Timoteo-san, who is like a grandfather to me. He and his guardians, and many other members of the Vongola have inspired me in so many ways. When he first extended his offer to me to become his heir, I vehemently denied. I mean, I'm just an ignorant brat, right?"

This elicited a few laughs from the reporters, which helped Tsunayoshi relax even more.

"Timoteo-san, however, seemed not to care just how inexperienced I was. He and Reborn-san were willing to spend the time and money to educate me, to properly train me to become Decimo. And I thought, if these two amazing men are willing to put so much faith in me, then maybe it was time for me to put some faith in myself for a change."

Here, he smiled a sweet smile, endearing himself to the reporters further than he already had, and then it was time to move on to the next question.

Next to speak was an older, dignified looking fellow – he worked for one of the bigger newspapers and was known to be rather unfriendly. As he turned his eyes towards Tsunayoshi though, his smile was softer than usual.

"My question is for Tsunayoshi-kun," he said. "These past few weeks, you have been seen spending a lot of time with Reborn-san. Is it true that he will be the one training you for your duties as head of the Vongola? And if so, how on Earth have you survived this long?"

Chuckling quietly at the reporter's choice of wording, Tsuna answered, "Yes, Reborn-san is, indeed, my tutor and to be quite honest? The training hasn't been nearly as difficult as the rumours have said. Although it may be that he's waiting until after we've moved to Italy to start the hard stuff."

As soon as the word "Italy" had left Tsuna's mouth, the reporters began murmuring in shock.

When the next reporter stood up (a serious-looking young ame-onna with hair tied back in a tight bun and a sever expression on her face), she turned immediately to look at Tsuna.

"My question is for Tsunayoshi-san," she said. "When will you be moving to Italy, and why?"

Tsuna drew back a little, surprised at the suddenly very serious expressions on all the reporters' faces. He looked over at Timoteo, silently pleading for the older man to help. The answer to this question would decide how the rest of the conference would go – whether the reporters spent the entire time attacking him or not.

Timoteo just smiled encouragingly at him, and Tsuna groaned inwardly – so this was a test for him.

Taking a deep breath, he looked back out over the crowd.

"It...it has been decided that I will be moving to Italy in a few days' time," he said almost haltingly, and the reporters all gasped at how soon he would be leaving. "Our...our world is at a pivotal point right now – the newer generations are becoming increasingly more accepting of youkai, but not everyone has let go of the discriminatory values of past generations."

The reporters looked slightly confused at the direction this had gone in, but a few were nodding in agreement with Tsuna.

The young heir, slowly growing more confident with himself.

"At this point in time, the Vongola, which has always been at the forefront of our struggle, needs a strong leader, one who can command respect from not only the people whose minds he is trying to change, but also from the people whose rights he is trying to protect. The Vongola needs an heir who is properly educated, properly trained to deal with whatever situations may arise. And what better place to learn all this than at the Vongola headquarters in Italy? Japan always has been and always will be my home, and it saddens me immensely to leave it, but it is something I need to do. Our battle for equality will not end without sacrifice."

The reporters all seemed to have calmed down by now and many of them were nodding in agreement and/or approval of what Tsuna was saying.

Reborn and Timoteo were both smiling proudly at Tsuna, who didn't seem to notice their attention, as the moderator had already called for the next reporter.

"My question is for Tsunayoshi-kun," said an old man who looked as if he should have retired long ago. "Once your training in Italy is finished, do you plan on staying there, or moving back to Japan?"

Tsuna, who seemed to have gotten into the swing of things, was quick to answer this time.

"The Vongola Headquarters have been in Italy for the past four hundred years. That is where the Vongola has the most influence, it is the seat of the Vongola's power, if you will, and it is where the Vongola has the most support. I do not think there would be any benefit for anyone if I were to try and move it to Japan."

The crowd seemed to be split on this issue, some wholeheartedly agreeing with Tsuna, while others argued against it, saying he was abandoning his country.

Once all the murmuring had come to a halt, Tsuna continued.

"That being said however, I do intend to build the Vongola's influence in countries outside of Italy, starting with Japan. I feel that past generations have focused too narrowly in their efforts and while it is true that equal rights are improving by leaps and bounds within Italy, the same cannot be said for the rest of the world."

This time, there were no disagreeing voices.

The next reporter to be called on was an older woman, who ended up being the first with a question for Timoteo.

"Timoteo-san," she said, looking at the older man. "What do you think of your young heir's plans for the Vongola?"

Timoteo smiled amiably at the woman, saying, "I think that what he has suggested is quite a wonderful idea, and I am glad that he is already showing how well-fitted he is to his new position. I was a bit reluctant at first, I admit, to appoint such a young child as my successor and you have no idea how close I was to giving the offer to his father. But as I told Tsunayoshi-kun when I first offered him the position, and as Tsunayoshi-kun reiterated earlier; we live in a changing world. And in order for the Vongola to keep up with the change, we need someone at our helm who has grown up in this ever changing world."

The reporter nodded, sitting back down, and the moderator called for the next to stand up.

Most of the following questions were aimed at Tsuna, who answered them with increasing ease, while a few questions were asked of Timoteo as well, who looked content to just sit back and let his surrogate grandson take the stage.

By the end of the press conference, Tsuna had endeared himself to all the reporters who went back to their places of work afterwards, their articles all describing the young heir as "charismatic" and "an innocent soul," and, most popularly, "just the kind of leader the Vongola needs."

* * *

The night before Tsuna and his mother had to leave for Italy, the young heir once again_ found himself in the company of his many times great-grandfather._

_This time, they were once again sitting at the conference table._

_Lampo was the first to notice him this time, greeting him with a warm hug._

"_It's good to see you again, Tsuna!" he said, pulling him into the empty chair that had appeared beside him. "What point in your timeline are you at?"_

"_June of my sixteenth year. The last time I saw you was just over a month ago, and it is now the night before I leave for Italy._

"_Italy?" cried Giotto from a few seats over, seeming excited that his descendant would be visiting his home country._

"_So I take it you accepted the position as Vongola Decimo?" asked Asari, seeming delighted._

_Smiling sheepishly, Tsuna looked down as his hands fidgeted in his lap._

"_That's actually probably why I haven't come here recently. My new tutor, Reborn, has been keeping me really busy, so that by the time I fall asleep, I'm always so exhausted, I hardly ever dream."_

_Knuckle frowned at this, seeming worried._

"_He's not working you too hard, is he?" asked the priest, his eight tails fluttering worriedly behind him, betraying his feelings._

"_I'm fine," said Tsuna with a smile, feeling happy at how much Giotto and his guardians seemed to care. "What I'm learning is interesting, if not a bit annoying. Who knew that learning another language could be so confusing?"_

_Giotto snorted at this._

"_Believe me, oh descendant of mine, you have not seen anything yet."_

_Tsuna chuckled weakly, thinking his great-great-great-grandfather to be joking, but when the blond continued to stare gravely at him, the laughter died away, leaving him feeling suddenly very worried for what he was to face in the future._

"_You'll be fine!" reassured G from Tsuna's side, ruffling the younger male's hair affectionately. "Being boss may be difficult, but it's rewarding. And I'm sure you'll be great at it."_

"_Really?" asked Tsuna, who had been feeling a bit insecure of late._

"_Of course, my little Tsunayoshi-kun!" piped in Daemon from across the table, grinning widely. "You are a child of Vongola! Have a little confidence in yourself!"_

_The rest of the night passed rather quickly after this, and by the time morning had come and Tsuna woke up, he found that he was no longer nearly as worried as he had been about moving to Italy._

* * *

It was a week into Gokudera Hayato's summer vacation, and he was at a protest with his mother when he first met the strange foreigner with the familiar face.

The kid was standing off to the side, looking extremely out of place in his neatly pressed dress shoes, dress pants, and white dress shirt and vest. Short brown locks were poking out from underneath the fedora perched on his head, and everything about him just screamed rich kid.

Touching his mother's arm to get her attention, Hayato tilted his head towards the kid, and she nodded in understanding.

"_Oi! Kid!" _he shouted, and the kid looked at him with a startled expression. _"You an ally?"_

The other teen looked down, his face flushed as he babbled in Japanese, "I-I'm sorry, I do-don't really- I just, I-"

Breathing out a chuckle of amusement, Hayato said, "Calm down kid. I speak Japanese too."

The other kid's eyes lit up, and he sighed in relief.

"So, are you an ally?" repeated Hayato.

The kid looked confused as to how to reply for a moment, before finally nodding.

"Good," said Hayato, turning and motioning for the kid to follow him. "Don't just stand there then. Do something useful."

"E-eh?" asked the other kid, stumbling after him and looking unsure. "B-but, I can't speak Italian very well. How would I be able to help?"

Hayato didn't reply, as they had just then arrived back to where his mother was sitting on the edge of the fountain that sat in the middle of the park they were in. Their sign was on the floor, leaning against her legs, and she looked prim and proper – not the kind one would expect at these kinds of events, which sometimes turned violent.

"Okaa-san, this kid is going to join us," he said, and she looked behind her son curiously.

Smiling sweetly, she asked, "Is your family here for vacation?"

Looking down at his feet, he replied, "I...ah...no. My dad, um, works here in Italy, and a few days ago my mother and moved here to join him."

"That's nice," replied Hayato's mother. "And your parents know where you are?"

A sheepish smile crossed the young teen's face.

"Not...really," he admitted, not meeting her eyes. "I'm supposed to be studying at the moment, actually. I, uh, decided to take a walk, as a break, but then I saw this large group and got curious."

Lavina giggled when he said this.

"Well, it is important to have a break every once in a while," she said with a conspiratorial wink. "Why don't you join our protest for a bit, and then you can go home?"

The kid looked lost for a moment, and before he could protest, Hayato interrupted.

"All you have to do is help me hold the sign," he told the brunet. "And after my mom shouts something, we repeat it."

"What?" squeaked the other teen. "B-but I can't speak-"

"It's fine, it's fine," assured Hayato. "All you have to do is repeat the sounds. And it would be better to take off that hat."

"What? NO!" exclaimed the boy, grasping at his hat which, unbeknownst to Hayato, was hiding his ears.

Just then, Lavina noticed that the rest of their group had started moving, and she reassured her son's new friend, "It's fine. You can keep the hat on. But we need to get moving now."

And with that, they were off.

Tsuna started off a bit shaky and unsure, but before long, he was shouting just as passionately as those around him, despite not knowing what he was saying, and at one point, Hayato shot him an impressed look.

Tsuna had been with the procession for a few streets, revelling in the energy of the crowd and the cheers and encouragements of those that had gathered to watch, when he got a text.

Lavina, noticing him reach down to get out his phone, immediately took his side of the sign, and the young heir nodded a thank you.

The text turned out to be from his tutor, and even through the phone, he could practically hear his tutor's amusement bleeding through.

_'Do you even know what you're shouting?'_ read the text, and Tsuna's head immediately snapped up, looking around to try and find his tutor.

_'I was going to bring you to this protest after you had finished studying – it was planned by the Vongola after all – but this way may actually be better for you to experience it.'_

Startled, Tsuna replied, _'The Vongola organized it? What's it for?'_

Reborn's reply wasn't long in coming.

_'It's in response to the new CEO of Millefiore, who has a history of making derogatory comments about spirits, targeting the Vongola most often.'_

"Oh..." said Tsuna quietly to himself. No wonder everyone seemed so worked up. The Millefiore was an international chain that had been gaining a lot of success in the past five or so years, and to have someone so discriminatory at its head was most definitely not a good thing.

After a few seconds, another ping sounded.

_'As you seem to have found good company, you may continue with them to the end. Nono will be giving a speech at the end which I will ask you about when you get back. Be sure to pay proper attention to it.'_

Tsuna felt mixed emotions at that last text, but decided to just be happy that Reborn had given him permission to continue in the protest. He was having a rather good time, and it even felt like he had a tentative friend in the gruff young man that had pulled him into this.

Anyways, if he really had trouble understanding Nono's speech (which would undoubtedly be in Italian), he could always ask his companions for a translation.

* * *

The second time Gokudera Hayato met Sawada Tsunayoshi was about a month or so after their first meeting and by then, the young Decimo had changed immensely.

Hayato was relaxing at his favourite coffee shop with a book when someone set a cup of coffee down on his table, and sat in the seat across from him.

Looking up, Hayato was ready to tell the person off for interrupting him, but stopped short when he saw the face of the boy that had joined he and his mother at the protest a month ago.

This time, instead of his neat and formal clothes, he was clad in a pair of baggy black cargo shorts and an ugly orange sweatshirt that was a few sizes too large for him and was almost slipping of his shoulders.

Combined with the shoulder-length blond locks of hair flowing out from underneath a bandana that was obviously hiding a pair of ears, the kid almost looked like a completely different person.

"K-kid?" blurted out Hayato, unsure, and the other teen smiled.

"Hayato-san, right?" he asked, and Hayato gaped at him for a few moments, his eyes drawn to the two bumps under the bandana where the guy's ears were.

"You were one of us all along? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Ah," said Tsuna, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "It's just...I kind of didn't really want to cause a commotion."

"A commotion?" asked Hayato, confused. "Why would-"

And suddenly, he froze as his mind made the connection. Since the moment he'd met the boy, something about him had been extremely familiar, and now, with the other's admission, he suddenly realized why.

"You're Tsun-"

Alarmed, Tsuna surged out of his seat to cover his new friend's mouth, but in the process, he knocked over not only his own cup of coffee, but Hayato's as well.

"Shit!" hissed the young heir, jumping away.

Acting quickly, Hayato picked his book up just in time to save it.

"I'm so, so, sorry," apologized Tsuna, but Hayato just waved it off.

"It's fine," he said before heading off to find an employee.

And just five minutes later, the mess was cleaned up, both boys had another cup of coffee in their hands (courtesy of Tsuna), and had left the shop.

"I really am sorry," apologized Tsuna as he followed Hayato to whatever destination he was heading. "I just...I don't really get time off very often, and if everyone back there had realized who I was..."

Hayato sighed out through his nose.

"It's fine," he reassured. "I'm just...surprised."

"You're not upset at me?" asked Tsuna, looking at him imploringly, and Hayato rolled is eyes.

"Not at all."

A delighted smile lit up Tsuna's features, and he purred low in his throat.

"Thank goodness," he said, "You're the closest thing I have to a friend in Italy, not counting Reborn or grandpa's guardians, and it would be a shame if you hated me."

Hayato turned wide eyes on the young heir, who stopped when he saw his expression.

"Oh...sorry, was that a bit presumptuous of me to call us friends?" he asked, looking suddenly unsure of himself.

"Not at all," Hayato hurried to reassure the boy. "It's just...I'm surprised you'd consider me a friend."

"Why's that?" asked Tsuna, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Well," said Hayato, coming to a stop as they arrived in front of the beat-up old apartment building he and his mother lived in. "You're _Vongola Decimo_ and I'm..." here he paused a moment before saying, "...I'm just a worthless hanyou."

He looked down, not able to meet the other teen's gaze, and waited for the insults and taunting and disgust.

Instead, he heard something like a low, distressed whine before Tsuna said, "You're not worthless."

Hayato's head snapped up, and he looked at Tsuna in surprise.

"You're a good guy," insisted the young heir, his expression stern, "I don't know you very well, but from what I've seen, you're really passionate, and you don't mind inviting a complete stranger to join you and your mother and-and-and-"

He trailed off, seeming too worked up to continue, his face flushed, and all Hayato could do was stare.

A few beats of silence passed between the two, both of them embarrassed and not able to meet the other's eyes.

In the end, Hayato was the one that broke the silence, asking, "Would you...like to come to my home? My...I think my mother would like to see you again, and you can take off that bandana..."

Tsuna nodded, looking shyly up at Hayato through his eyelashes, and as their gazes met, both boys silently agreed to just forget the conversation they'd just had.

In silence, Tsuna followed his new friend into the apartment building, trying not to look surprised at how shabby it seemed, especially in comparison to his own living accommodations.

When they arrived at the Gokuderas' residence, Lavina was in the kitchen, in the midst of making lunch.

"Tadaima!" called Hayato as he stepped in the door, and Lavina popped her head out of the kitchen, wondering why her son was speaking in Japanese.

Here eyes widened in surprise when she saw Tsuna, and the boy just bowed respectfully, saying, "Ojamashimasu."

"Okaeri," replied Lavina, quickly drying her hands on a dish towel before going to meet the two boys. "You're the boy from the protest, aren't you?"

Tsuna smiled shyly up at her, nodding as he reached up to pull the bandana off.

"I didn't properly introduce myself last time," he said, looking down as Lavina gasped in surprise at the lion ears poking out of his head. "My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Tsuna-kun. I'm Gokudera Lavina." Then, turning to her son, she said in a chastising voice, "Honestly, Hayato, you ought to have told me you were bringing a friend over! I would have cleaned up a bit!"

"It's not like I knew I would bump into him!" protested Hayato. "I just...bumped into him at the coffee shop."

Sighing and shaking her head, Lavina turned to her young guest.

"So, Tsuna-kun, will you be staying for lunch?"

"Oh...I would hate to intrude," protested Tsuna, but Lavina was quick to reassure him.

"You wouldn't be intruding at all!" insisted the motherly woman. "It's always nice to have a bit of company. And I know Hayato's been wanting to see you again."

"A-alright then..." accepted Tsuna, feeling a bit shy.

And so, the young heir spent the next two hours as an honorary member of the Gokudera family.

He and Hayato chattered as they ate, Lavina putting in a thought every now and then, and by the time Reborn showed up at the apartment to drag Tsuna back to his lessons, Hayato was not the least bit surprised to see one of the most powerful young people in the the world whine pitifully as he was dragged off by his tutor.

Luckily, not ten minutes before the tutor from hell had appeared, Tsuna and Hayato had had a chance to exchange cell phone numbers.

* * *

The third time Gokudera Hayato met Sawada Tsunayoshi, it was under completely different circumstances.

It was a week before Hayato's summer vacation would be over and he would be starting school, but that was the least of his problems.

His mother had just been fired from her job, and because they were several weeks late on their rent, they had one day come home to see an eviction notice on their door.

Lavina, who had been under an incredible amount of stress lately, had been unable to keep her tears at bay any longer and had collapsed at their kitchen table, her delicate shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs.

Hayato stood awkwardly at her side, his arms wrapped around his mother's body, and tried to swallow the guilt that was almost choking him.

He knew that it was partly his fault that his mother always found it so hard to maintain a steady job – his mother had gotten pregnant with him at a young age, and so hadn't been able to finish her education, which greatly reduced the number of jobs she could do. And when her family found out that his father was a human, they had immediately disowned her, leaving her without support and with barely any means to support herself and her young son.

And despite all that, she had never once blamed Hayato.

It seemed like Hayato had been standing there for hours, trying to console his mother, when a knock came on the door.

He tried to ignore it at first, but the person was persistent so finally, reluctantly, the young man left his mother's side to go see who it was.

When he pulled open the door, Hayato was surprised to see Tsuna standing there, wearing clothes similar to the first time they'd met only this time, he didn't seem to be in disguise.

Standing slightly behind and to the left of him was his tutor, Reborn, looking like a guard...probably to make sure that his student didn't run away from his lessons again.

"Ah, um, hello, Hayato-kun," greeted Tsuna, smiling nervously. When Hayato didn't reply, he hurried to explain himself, saying, "I came over because I was worried, because your phone was disconnected a few weeks ago, and I was wondering if anything had happened and..."

The boy trailed off, looking embarrassed, and Hayato sighed. He was glad that Tsuna had cared enough to come over, but he really didn't have time for this right now.

"Look, I'm really sorry, Tsuna, but now's not really a good time..."

"O-oh..." said Tsuna quietly, seeming dejected. "Is there...something wrong?"

Hayato was quiet for a moment, contemplating on how to reply. A part of him just wanted to tell Tsuna to get lost and close the door in his face, to tell him that it was none of his business.

But he had come to think of Tsuna was a rather good friend, and if possible, he didn't want to lose that friendship.

Leaning against the doorjamb, he ran a hand through his messy silver hair and said, "We're getting evicted."

Tsuna was silent for a moment, his eyes growing wide and shocked.

"W-what?" he squeaked, sounding alarmed.

Hayato shrugged, trying to seem unbothered.

"Mom's stupid boss tried to harass her, and when she didn't let him, he fired her. Because of that, we haven't really been able to pay our bills, which is why our phone was disconnected..."

Tsuna was looking more and more horrified by the second, and Hayato was almost wishing he hadn't told him.

Reborn, who had before been sporting a professionally uninterested expression was now wearing a calculating one.

"Tsunayoshi," he said, grabbing both boys' attention. "Do you remember what I was telling you the other day? About guardians?"

"Yes?" asked Tsuna, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Reborn gave him a pointed look, tilting his head slightly towards Hayato, and suddenly, the blond's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "Would that really be okay?"

The dragon nodded in reply. "I was planning on bringing up the suggestion soon, actually. From what information the Vongola has gathered, he does seem to be a good candidate. He is extremely intelligent, which is a good trait for your storm to have."

Tsuna's expression was growing more and more excited the more he heard, while Hayato was only growing more confused.

"What are you two talking about?" he demanded, and Tsuna turned suddenly shy eyes on him.

"Hayato-kun...you know how the Vongola head always has six guardians?"

"Yes?" asked Hayato, still confused.

"Would you...ah...would you like to be my storm guardian?" asked the young heir.

Hayato stared in surprise, not immediately comprehending what his friend was saying.

When he finally found his voice, all he could think to say was, "...what?"

"Y-you don't have to!" assured Tsuna immediately, "I know we don't even really know each other that well, but I...I trust you. There are suites in the Vongola HQ for the guardians and their families to stay in and th-there's always lots of jobs that need to be done with the Vongola and Lavina-baa-san is very talented so I'm sure it won't be hard to find something for her even if you don't want to b-"

"Are you serious?" demanded Hayato, cutting off the young heir's rambling, and Tsuna flinched a little, wondering if he had offended his friend.

"Um...yes?" he asked, and next thing he knew, Hayato had thrown his arms around him, whispering fervent thank yous.

Tsuna was frozen for a moment, shocked, before returning his friend's hug. Hayato's grip on him was tight, and Tsuna felt almost sorry for his friend – life had been so cruel to him for so long. It was about time something went right.

* * *

Hayato stood in the lobby of the Vongola HQ, looking around in amazement and wishing he had about eight more eyes, just so he could take in everything properly.

His mother grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly, and Hayato squeezed back, a silent conversation passing between the two of them.

It was hard to believe that, just a few hours ago, they were practically homeless, and now they were being welcomed into this luxurious place.

Three large, suit-clad men came in through the doors behind them, carrying their hastily packed bags, and headed up a pair of stairs on the opposite end of the foyer they were standing in.

Hayato wondered for a moment whether they were supposed to follow them, but before he could even voice his question, a woman stepped into the foyer through a door to their right.

Here feathery brown hair was cut in a bob, and two perky cat ears sat atop her head. She had a welcoming smile on her face and her large, kind brown eyes were exact clones of Tsuna's.

"You must by Gokudera Lavina-san and Gokudera Hayato-kun!" she exclaimed, her long brown tail twitching happily from side to side behind her. "I've heard so much about you from my Tsu-kun! I'm Sawada Nana! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Lavina seemed to relax a bit at the other appearance of the woman, returning her smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sawada-san," she said, bowing low.

As soon as Lavina pulled out of her bow, the Sawada matriarch stepped forward and threaded her arm through the younger woman's, saying, "Now, now, no need to be so formal. You can call me Nana. Anyways, I'll show you to your room, ne?"

Then, turning to look at her son, who had come to stand beside Hayato, she said, "Tsu-kun, Timoteo-san would like you to bring Hayato-kun to meet him, to discuss some things before the welcome dinner tonight."

* * *

That night, after the Gokuderas had been properly welcomed into the Vongola and Tsuna and Hayato had been convinced to turn in for the night, Tsuna once again _found himself with Vongola Primo._

_This time, they were in a large, well-lit library that Tsuna recognized as the one on the first floor of the Vongola HQ. A skylight in the ceiling let in midday light, giving everything a soft, homey glow._

_Giotto and his guardians were gathered around something, talking loudly to each other and so preoccupied that they hadn't even noticed Tsuna's arrival, which was strange, to say the least._

_As Tsuna approached them, he realized that it was a __**someone**__ rather than a something that they were arguing over._

_Catching sight of dishevelled silver locks and confused green eyes as the person looked from side to side, trying to understand all the questions that were being thrown at him._

"_Hayato?" exclaimed Tsuna, surprised, and all eight heads turned to him._

"_Tsunayoshi!" called Giotto, immediately going over to hug his young descendant, rubbing his cheek against the younger blond's and purring. _

"_You know this guy, Tsunayoshi?" asked G, walking over with the other guardians following him._

_Hayato stayed where he was, seeming unsure, until Tsuna motioned him over to his side._

_The silveret's eyes lit up with relief and he quickly walked over to his friend's side._

"_Yeah," said Tsuna in answer to G's answer. "Minna-san, this is my new storm guardian, Gokudera Hayato."_

_This seemed to immediately perk everyone's interest, and all eyes turned on Hayato, who was staring around at them unsurely._

_G was looking the young man over critically, circling him slowly as if evaluating him._

_Nodding to himself, the man said, "I supposed he looks okay. You are one of the fair folk, yes?"_

_Hayato blinked owlishly at him, seeming surprised that G had known that, before turning to look down at Tsuna, as if asking permission._

_Tsuna nodded in reply, and Hayato turned back to G._

"_My mother is," he corrected. "My father was a human."_

_G's eyebrows rose into his hairline, seeming surprised, but instead of the disapproval Hayato had been expecting, he seemed even more intrigued that before._

"_A half-blood," he said, "Interesting."_

_Daemon seemed to agree with this. "He'll be very intelligent then. A good choice for a second-in-command."_

"_Yes," interjected Knuckle. "A good combination as well. His logical human mind will temper the mischievousness and whimsical nature the fair folk are known for."_

"_And his fae blood will make him very loyal," added Asari. "If Tsuna manages to gain his respect, they will be brothers for life."_

_By now, Hayato's face was flushed a deep red – he still wasn't quite sure who these people were, but Tsuna seemed to trust them, so to have their approval made him really very happy._

"_You've chosen really well," Giotto informed Tsuna, who was beaming._

"_Of course," he said._

"_Can I ask something though?" interrupted Lampo, and all eyes turned to him. "Two things actually. First, why is he here? And second, why does he look exactly like G?"_

_At the last question, all eyes immediately turned to look between Hayato and G._

"_Maybe they're related?" suggested Giotto thoughtfully._

"_But I'm not of the fair folk," G protested, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow and baring his fangs._

"_That doesn't really say much," said Asari. "A lot could have happened in four hundred years. Maybe one of your children fell in love with a fairy."_

"_Or maybe one of them fell for a human, and he's related to you through his father!" added Lampo._

"_True..." said G._

"_That still doesn't explain why he's here," pointed out Alaude._

_Looking down at the young Decimo in his arms, Giotto asked, "Ne, Tsunayoshi-kun. What point in your timeline are you at?"_

"_August of my sixteenth year," answered Tsuna. "Hayato has just become my storm guardian and he and his mother have moved into the Vongola HQ. The last time I saw you was a week ago."_

"_Ah," said Knuckle. "That might be it. It could be that every time Tsuna meets another of his guardians, they will start appearing here."_

"_But why?" asked G, confused. "And for that matter, why does Tsuna even show up here?"_

_Giotto looked thoughtful._

"_Maybe...maybe the true children of the Vongola appear here? The ones that are destined to change the world. Even though Ricardo took over the Vongola after me, I never did think he was right for the job. Maybe that was because the right person hadn't yet been born."_

_Hayato, who had been listening silently until now, was starting to feel more and more faint as he began to realize just who all these people were._

_Clutching at Tsuna's arm, he whispered, "Juudaime."_

"_Hm?" asked Tsuna, pulling his attention away from the rather interesting conversation to look at his friend._

"_These people...they're-they're...the founders of the Vongola?" stuttered Hayato, his voice coming out strangely high-pitched at the end._

"_Yes?" answered Tsuna, wondering why his storm looked as if he were going to faint any second now._

"_O-okay," choked out Hayato, nodding and trying to take this revelation in stride._

_For the next little while, he was a bit tongue-tied, but before the night was over, he had relaxed quite a bit, and had formed a strange kind of love-hate relationship with G, which was vastly different from Tsuna's own adoring relationship with his ancestor._

_There was still a sense of closeness there, however, which had the rest of the guardians feeling a bit envious, and wondering just when their successors would be showing up._

* * *

The first time Tsuna heard about Rokudo Mukuro, he and Hayato were watching the news – or rather, they had meant to be watching the news; somewhere along the way, they had begun play-wrestling, tumbling over each other on the ground, biting and scratching and elbowing.

To an outsider, it may have seemed much too fierce to be allowed to be called playing, but both boys preferred it that way. Hayato had been hesitant the first few times, but had soon learned that Tsuna could more than hold up in a fight.

On this particular day, Tsuna had had Hayato pinned to the ground, about to deliver the "finishing blow", when the newscaster said something that caught his attention.

Looking up just in time to see a mug-shot of a young man with disturbingly empty, polychromatic eyes, Tsuna felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Hayato, taking advantage of his friend's distraction, surged up, breaking free of his grip, and was about to reverse their earlier positions.

Tsuna, startled, fell back, but didn't resume their little game. His attention was still on the television.

Hayato looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the young man before the mugshot disappeared from the screen and the newscaster was back on.

"_Nineteen-year-old Mukuro Rokudo, and his accomplices Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto, were arrested earlier today after a week long manhunt. Rokudo and his accomplices are suspects in the complete, overnight annihilation of the Estraneo Italy headquarters..."_

Both boys watched the story unfold in front of them, feeling chills crawl up their spines.

The more he watched and listened though, the more Tsuna became convinced that there was a side to the story that was missing, something huge.

Most everyone else saw this as a black and white case – three young spirits had taken down the building of an international organization, killing many of their workers in the process, and so they deserved to rot in jail for the rest of their lives.

But Tsuna just couldn't seem to accept that.

It was those eyes, he thought.

They were intimately familiar to him, but with an emptiness he felt sure wasn't supposed to be there.

Bumping shoulders, Hayato whispered to his sky, "He looks like Daemon-san."

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, closing his eyes and trying to bring to mind a clearer image of the boy from before, and decided that yes, he did indeed look a lot like his great-great-great-grandfather's mist guardian.

Then, after a few moments of thinking, another face came to Tsuna's mind, unbidden.

It was a girl's face – shy violet eyes looking down at the book she was reading, completely ignoring her classmates, who all seemed quite happy to ignore her as well.

Dokuro Chrome. That was her name. She had been in the year above Tsuna at Nami high.

Rumour had it that when she was just nine years old, both her parents had been killed in a car crash, and she and her brother had both been separated.

Young Chrome had moved to Namimori to live with their mother's younger sister, and her brother had been taken to Italy, to live with a cousin of their father's.

Tsuna had never actually talked to Chrome, so really, there was no way to determine if the story was even true.

There was a part of him, however, that told him that even if it may not be true, he had a responsibility to that shy sempai of his, the girl who might spend her entire life looking for an older brother that Tsuna might have been able to reunite her with, if he only cared enough.

And he did care enough.

He cared more than enough.

* * *

When Mukuro was told that Sawada Tsunayoshi had come to visit him, he honestly had no idea what to think.

Having spent the last nine years locked up in a "laboratory" and treated as less than an animal, he wasn't exactly caught up on current events.

But even _he_ knew of the young princeling that had appeared practically out of nowhere a few months ago and had somehow immediately become one of the most powerful people in the world.

The "scientists" had complained about it quite a bit in that first month, ranting about how they had worked their entire lives to get to the positions they were at now, but just because that young boy had been born into a certain family, he was already more successful than they could ever dream of being.

Mukuro had taken some amusement at the time in seeing them so frustrated. It had felt like a small victory.

Now, he was sat at a table in an interrogation room, his hands chained to the chair so that he couldn't even move, waiting for that very same princeling.

He wasn't waiting very long before two young men entered the room, the door slamming shut behind them in order to give them the illusion of privacy.

Of the two young men that had entered, one of them was tall and muscled, with silky silver hair like liquid moonlight and inhumanly beautiful features – one with fae blood, most likely.

The other young man was shorter, more petite, and there was something in Mukuro that _recognized_ him, some primal instinct that knew this young man intimately.

A pair of lion ears adorned his head, sprouting out from a messy golden mane, and a long golden tail swished elegantly behind him.

This young man, Mukuro knew with utmost certainty, was the young Vongola Decimo.

The two of them locked gazes for what seemed an eternity, and in that gaze, a strange something was formed. A bond, maybe?

But soon, that eternity was over, and both Tsunayoshi and his companion took a seat across the table from Mukuro.

For a long time, they didn't say anything, and Mukuro, who never did like silence, was the one that ended up speaking first.

"Well," said the young man in slightly accented Japanese. "Aren't I just so humbled to have the one and only descendant of Giotto Vongola come to visit me!"

Tsunayoshi's companion growled quietly at the clear sarcasm in his voice, but was stopped with a hand on his arm.

"So you know I'm Japanese," said the young heir, seeming not at all surprised.

Raising a delicate eyebrow, Mukuro snorted. "Well, Tsunayoshi certainly isn't an Italian name."

This brought an amused smile to the boy's face, and he nodded, conceding the point.

"True," said the young heir, "Though not many people pay any notice to that. They look at my ears and tail and feet; they see that I am a capri-pede, and they conclude that I _must_ be Italian, since Japan certainly does not have capri-pedes."

"Then those people are idiots," replied Mukuro matter-of-factly.

Tsuna laughed a short little laugh at this, neither agreeing with nor denying Mukuro's claim.

There were a few more moments of quiet between the small group of three before Mukuro let out a sigh.

"What are you doing here, Tsunayoshi?" he asked.

"That's a pretty loaded question," replied Tsuna, an amused smile gracing his lips. "Do you mean to ask what I am doing here in this prison? What am I doing here in Italy? What am I-"

"What are you doing here at this prison," growled Mukuro, interrupting him, and Tsuna's smile fell away, his expression becoming serious.

"I'm here to ask you why you, Ken, and Chikusa destroyed the Estraneo Italy headquarters."

Chuckling humorlessly, Mukuro looked away before asking, "Why do you care?"

Tsuna seemed to contemplate this question for a second, choosing his words carefully, before saying, "I care because of Dokuro Chrome."

As soon as that name left his lips, Mukuro froze, the blood turning to ice in his veins.

"What?" he breathed, turning his gaze on the boy sitting in front of him. "You...how do you know about her?"

Tsuna nodded almost imperceptibly to himself, as if one of his suspicions had been confirmed.

"She was a sempai of mine, back home in Japan."

Mukuro swallowed thickly, feeling suddenly choked up. "And she...how's she doing?"

Tsuna shrugged, leaning back.

"I never really knew her all that well. She seemed to be doing rather okay, but that isn't really saying much. A lot can happen behind closed doors."

Mukuro let out a short bark of harsh laughter. "You can say that again," he said, his voice bitter.

Tsuna nodded slightly again – another suspicion confirmed.

"I never really knew Dokuro Chrome," repeated Tsuna, catching Mukuro's gaze, "But she was a sweet girl who deserves so much more than the hand fate has dealt for her. And so, for her sake, I'm going to ask you again. Why did you destroy the Estraneo Italy headquarters?"

Mukuro stared into Tsuna's eyes, those eyes that had no right looking so incredibly familiar, and he decided to take a chance.

He told the boy something that no one in their right minds would believe – a horrifying tale of torture and cruelty, the tale of his life for the past nine years.

And as Tsuna and his companion's eyes kept growing wider and wider with horror, Mukuro felt hope building inside him, something he had never allowed himself to feel. He had long since resigned himself to the fact that no one would ask for his side of the story, and that even after he had been freed from the torture of the Estraneo "scientists", he would spend the rest of his life in jail.

But fate had smiled down upon him, and had sent to him perhaps the one person on this Earth that would be able to help him – and not just help free him either; fate had sent him the one person that could heal his broken self and reunite him with the one person in this entire world he truly cared for.

* * *

The next time Mukuro met Tsunayoshi Sawada, it was as a free man and with Ken and Chikusa standing behind him like scared little ducklings.

With some help from the Vongola lawyers, the trio had won their case and gone from coldblooded murderers to martyrs, tortured souls who had somehow had the strength to survive everything that had happened to them and had ousted their oppressors.

It was more than a bit disorienting, to be completely honest, and though he wouldn't admit it except under pain of death, he was eternally thankful that Tsuna was there to deal with the reporters that seemed to pop up in every direction he turned.

By the time he had spent an entire hour in the company of the princeling, Mukuro was starting to realize why his little watchdog (his name was Hayato, if he remembered correctly) was so damn worshipful of him.

Before Mukuro had had to worry for more than a minute about where he and his two little ducklings would live from then on, Tsuna fixed that problem as well by inviting them to stay at the Vongola HQ.

"Now Tsunayoshi," Mukuro had replied, crossing his arms and looking at the young man sternly. "I don't plan on being in anyone's debt so unless you have-"

"Oh, no, you wouldn't live there for _free_," interrupted Tsunayoshi quickly, already prepared for Mukuro's objections. "You see I have been searching for someone to fill a position of late, and I think you would be perfect for it."

"Oh?" asked Mukuro, amused – they'd met only twice now, and already, Tsuna seemed to know him like the back of his hand. Normally, Mukuro would have been irritated, that a stranger would know him so well, but he was fast learning that it was hard to be irritated at young Tsunayoshi for any extended period of time.

Tsuna nodded, his expression comically grave.

"Mukuro Rokudo," he said, trying to sound professional, "Would you like to be my mist guardian?"

* * *

Mukuro's first night at the Vongola headquarters was...perplexing, to say the least.

When they had arrived at the rather large mansion, they had been greeted by a rather large entourage, complete with blushing maids who giggled and whispered amongst each other when Mukuro looked at them, a stiff butler that called him 'sir' when he entered the house, and two older women who seemed to have taken it upon themselves to mother Mukuro, Chikusa, and Ken as much as possible.

Going by the utmost respect they were treated with and their resemblances to Tsunayoshi and Hayato, Mukuro assumed that these two were the women of the Vongola.

Despite the strangeness of the day, Mukuro found he had quite enjoyed himself and he went to bed that night thanking God for the existence of Tsunayoshi Sawada.

Almost as soon as his head had hit his soft new pillow, the eighteen-year-old was fast asleep, and _when next he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a sun-dappled garden._

_There were clutches of violently blooming flowers everywhere, their heady fragrances distracting him for a moment._

_Suddenly, there was a startled exclamation of, "Ah!"_

_Turning towards the source of the voice, Mukuro saw nine people sitting in an uneven circle under the shade of a few trees._

_Seven of them were people he had never seen before, but the other two were none other than Sawada Tsunayoshi and Gokudera Hayato._

"_He really is here!" exclaimed a young satyr with unruly green hair and large, curling green ram horns atop his head sitting to Tsunayoshi's right._

"_I don't see how you think he looks like me," said another voice, causing Mukuro to turn and see a man with pale blue hair shaped like a melon staring rather intently at him._

"_I don't know," interject another, a kitsune with eight tails arranged neatly behind him – one for every decade he had lived. "I can definitely see the resemblance."_

_The other man just rolled his eyes. "At any rate, he's a nurarihyon, which means he'd be perfect as a mist guardian."_

"_I agree," said a man with pale red (almost pink) hair who was sitting next to Hayato. "With his ability, he would be quite handy in a fight, if ever it came to that. And his lack of presence would make it easier for him to just blend into the background and observe."_

_The other strangers hummed in agreement, but Tsuna groaned._

"_Can you guys please not do that evaluation thing you did with Hayato? Not everyone enjoys it, you know."_

_The other men stared at Tsuna, as if surprised, before relenting._

"_I'm really sorry, Tsu-kun," cooed one blond male, nuzzling against Tsuna. "I didn't mean to offend a member of your pride."_

"_My-my-my pride?" stuttered Tsuna, his face flushing in embarrassment, and after a moment's hesitation, Mukuro walked over to sit down next to him._

"_Well yes," said Mukuro, "that is what one would call the family of an alpha lion, yes? His pride?"_

* * *

Just over a year after he had left Japan, Sawada Tsunayoshi returned to his home country for a visit.

The person that stepped into TakeSushi on that fateful summer day was quite different from the shy boy that had left – he was now a confident young man, sure of his place in the world, and Yamamoto Takeshi almost didn't recognize him.

He was accompanied by two young men Takeshi didn't recognize, and a young woman he thought he remembered from high school. All three listened to Tsuna with their full attention, as if what he was saying was the most important thing on Earth, and it was quite obvious they all adored him.

Takeshi watched them take a seat at one of the tables, not seeming to notice the people staring at them at all, and wondered what it must be like, having friends that cared for you so much.

All throughout his school days, Takeshi had been one of the popular kids, the person everyone wanted to be seen talking to and hanging out with, but he had never had anyone he connected with on the level Tsuna seemed to have connected with his companions.

The secret Takeshi had continued to cling onto, even until now, had put up a barrier around him, keeping him safe, but also lonely.

Suddenly, as if noticing his gaze on him, Tsuna looked over, and their eyes met.

For just a second, it felt almost as if they were back in class, Tsuna no doubt wondering why he was staring at him, and Takeshi trying to bring up the courage to go talk to him.

But then the illusion was broken as Tsuna's lips stretched into a wide smile, and he beckoned Takeshi over.

Heart in his throat, Takeshi took first one step forward, then another and another, and suddenly, he found himself standing at the table, four pairs of eyes staring right up at him.

"Hey, Tsuna!" greeted Takeshi cheerfully. "Didn't expect to see you back in Japan so soon!"

The words were superficial, and not the ones he wanted to say. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Takeshi wondered if maybe there was room enough in Tsuna's too big heart for just one more.

"Neither did I, to be honest," replied Tsuna with a little laugh. "But I had a pair of twins to reunite, you see, so I had to make an exception."

"A pair of twins?" asked Takeshi curiously, glancing at the only female in the group, and the guy she was sitting beside.

Inviting him to sit with them, Tsuna told Takeshi a story that intrigued him and made his blood run cold at some parts.

He stayed there, chatting with the group, until they left a few hours later, and wondered just why he hadn't pushed himself to talk to Tsuna and get to know him a year ago – it might have saved him months of loneliness.

* * *

That night, Takeshi went to bed content, and when he opened his eyes next, _he found he was sitting at a long conference table, with fifteen chairs sat around it, including his own._

_Three of the seats were empty, and of the other eleven, only four were people he knew._

_They all seemed to be debating about something really very important, but when they all noticed him, they stopped, staring at him in shock and confusion._

"_Uh...hello?" said the young man, not knowing how else to reply._

"_Yamamoto-san?" asked Tsuna, "What are you doing here?"_

"_I'm not sure," replied Takeshi, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Am I not supposed to be here?"_

"_You're not!" answered Hayato, who was sitting to one side of Tsuna. "Only Tsuna's guardians and Giotto-san's guardians are supposed to be here, isn't that right, old man?"_

_He looked to a man with pale red hair as he said this, and earned a smack on the back of his head for the way he had addressed the aforementioned 'old man.'_

"_That's what we had assumed before today, but with first Chrome's appearance here and now his, I don't think that theory is valid anymore."_

"_It might not be entirely wrong though," interrupted Alaude, seeming thoughtful. "Chrome is Mukuro's twin, yes? In a way, they are two halves of the same whole, so if one of them is a guardian, then it's possible the other also automatically becomes a guardian as well."_

"_Okay, that does make a bit of sense, but what about him?" demanded Lampo, gesturing towards Takeshi. "He doesn't have a twin, and Tsuna never asked him to be a guardian."_

"_He does look a lot like Asari though," interrupted Knuckle, and all eyes immediately turned to look between Asari and the newcomer._

"_Alright then," said Asari, leaning forward, "What if Tsuna doesn't __**need**__ to ask them to be his guardians for them to be able to appear here. What if there's another trigger?"_

"_Like what?" demanded Mukuro._

"_Ah!" exclaimed Giotto, who was sitting on Tsuna's other side. "Maybe they start showing up here once they've made a __**connection**__ with Tsuna."_

"_A connection?" asked Daemon, seeming confused, and Giotto nodded._

"_Yeah! A kind of...click. Like when something inside of you just recognizes each other, you know what I mean?"_

_There was a chorus of "oh"s – everyone did indeed know exactly what he meant, even Takeshi, who was still immensely confused about everything else._

"_But...I didn't feel a click today," Tsuna said, tilting his head to the side in confusion._

"_I'm...I'm pretty sure it happened last year," added Takeshi, and immediately all eyes turned to him again. "About a month or so before Tsuna left."_

"_Ah!" said Tsuna, realization dawning on his face, "Yes, I'm pretty sure that's when it happened! And I'm pretty sure I clicked with Mukuro the first time we met, but he didn't show up in here until after he had gotten out of jail and I had asked him to be my guardian."_

"_Darn it," sighed Giotto, letting his head fall to the desk. "What now? If we don't think of the answer soon, it's just going to keep bugging me."_

_There was silence for a few moments, everyone trying to think of an answer, when finally Hayato suggested, "Maybe...we start appearing here once Juudaime consciously decides he wants us as his guardians? I mean, with the pineapple head and I, he asked us immediately after it had occurred to him, but maybe with Yamamoto, it occurred to him, but he decided not to ask him yet, because, well...he doesn't really seem to have anything to do with our fight."_

_Everyone immediately turned to look at Tsuna, who looked as if he may be considering this thought._

"_You know," he said, "That...just might be it. I mean, the thought did cross my mind while we were talking. Yamamoto-san has a calming kind of presence, so I thought he might make a good rain guardian."_

"_What?" blurted out Takeshi, startled. "Why would- how did- what?"_

"_Is there something wrong, Yamamoto-san?" asked Tsuna, seeming suddenly worried._

_But before Takeshi could say anything, Asari interrupted, a knowing smile on his face._

"_Ah, it seems like he is my descendant after all."_

"_What are you you talking about?" asked Lampo, curious, but Asari ignored him, his attention on Takeshi instead._

"_You're an ame-otoko, aren't you?" asked the older man, and Takeshi ducked his head, not able to meet anyone's gaze._

"_Really?" asked Tsuna, seeming intrigued._

"_While ame-otoko are so much rarer than their female counterparts, it is true that they are also many times stronger as well," informed Asari. "I think you're a rather good choice for a guardian."_

"_A-a guardian?" stuttered Takeshi. "Like, for the Vongola?"_

_Tsuna nodded, smiling brightly at him. "Yamamoto-kun, would you like to be my rain guardian?"_

"_B-but you barely even know me!" spluttered Takeshi. "And your guardians are supposed to be like your closest advisers, aren't they?What if, once you get to know me better, you decide that you've changed your mind?"_

"_I don't think that's going to happen," replied Tsuna, his expression amused._

"_But what if it does?" demanded Takeshi. "I can't...I don't think I'd be able to take it..."_

_By the end of the sentence, his voice had quieted almost to a whisper and yet, everyone in the room could still hear it._

_Takeshi looked down, not meeting anyone else's gaze._

"_Do you trust me?" asked Tsuna, and Takeshi started, not having noticed that the younger male had gotten out of his seat and was now standing right next to him._

_Takeshi stared at him a moment, contemplating, before finally nodding._

_He did trust Tsuna, foolish as it may seem._

_Tsuna smiled brightly at this, and brought both hands up to cup both sides of Takeshi's face._

_Closing his eyes, Tsuna leaned forward until their foreheads were touching, and didn't say anything for a minute._

_Takeshi closed his eyes as well, taking a moment to breathe and calm down._

"_A Don does not abandon his family," Tsuna recited, repeating what Reborn had told him what seemed like a lifetime ago, but which had in fact only been one short year ago. "And you are a part of my family now, Takeshi-kun."_

_Takeshi let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, and attempted a nod. If it had been anyone other than Tsuna doing this – calling him by his given name, and acting so intimately with him – Takeshi would likely have been offended, but with Tsuna, it somehow seemed okay._

_Letting go of Takeshi's face, Tsuna pulled back, smiling sweetly._

"_So. Takeshi-kun. Will you be my rain guardian?"_

_Takeshi didn't hesitate to accept the offer this time, and when he saw his nod, Tsuna's smile widened into one of fierce joy._

_The closer his family came to being complete, the more and more impatient he found himself becoming to find the ones that would fill in the empty spaces in his pride._

* * *

When Takeshi woke up the next morning, it was with a sense of dread.

The dream had been such a wonderful one – the feeling of belonging was one he had been searching for his entire life, and now that the feeling was gone, he felt empty inside.

Sighing deeply and feeling much older than any eighteen-year-old had a right to, Takeshi pushed himself up and out of bed to get started on his morning routine.

Just before he was about to enter the bathroom however, their doorbell rang.

Wondering who on Earth could be visiting at this early hour, Takeshi hurried to answer the door before his old man was woken up.

Takeshi threw open the door, a falsely cheery smile already on his face, but faltered when he saw just how was standing there.

"Tsu...na?" he asked, shocked, and the young heir smiled brightly at him.

"Good morning Takeshi-kun!" he greeted, positively bouncing with contained energy. "I expected you were probably thinking some pretty depressing thoughts right about now, so I came over to let you know that last night really did happen!"

Takeshi blinked down at his new friend, his eyes wide in surprise, before finally nodding to show his understanding, finding he was feeling much too excited to say anything coherent."

Tsuna chuckled at his expression. "You're taking this pretty well, you know," he said, "The morning after Hayato and Mukuro's first visits, they were both completely freaking out! I'm pretty sure Chrome-chan was freaking out too this morning...at any rate, Mukuro wasn't in his own bed, so he was probably in her room, answering all her que-"

"Takeshi," called a voice from inside the house, interrupting Tsuna, and both boys turned to see Yamamoto Tsuyoshi standing there, staring disapprovingly at his son. "Why haven't you invited your friend inside yet? Don't be so rude."

"Oh, thank you sir, but that's alright," assured Tsuna immediately. "I'm sorry if I woke you up. I just wanted to come over to remind Takeshi that we will be leaving for Italy soon."

Here Tsuna looked pointedly at his new guardian, who felt his heart thud violently in alarm.

In all the excitement, he had completely forgotten about Italy!

"Italy?" asked Tsuyoshi, confused, and Tsuna nodded.

"Anyways, I'm very sorry, but I have to get going now, or else my guardians will be worrying. Good bye, Yamamoto-san. Good bye, Takeshi!"

And with that, he was gone, leaving Takeshi alone to explain to his father things that he himself was only just coming to terms with.

* * *

At nineteen years old, Sasagawa Ryohei was a lot _older_ than most young men his age.

Just one year previous, he had been bright, energetic young man, with a bright future ahead of him.

But one unfortunate accident and one fractured jaw later, the young boxer's promising career was over before it had even truly begun.

And with nothing to aim for, no idea what to do with his life, Ryohei had become like a shadow of his former self.

He walked around in a daze, not bothering to interact with anyone, and his once toned and healthy build had long since softened as the muscles became fat.

His younger sister, Kyoko, who had always looked up to her brother immensely, was the most worried, and had tried multiple times to snap him out of it, but nothing she did seemed to work.

These days, all she could do was invite him out with her whenever she could, just to get him out of the house, and in the end, this was what ended up saving him.

It was the first day of the week-long Hyakki Yakou* festival, and Kyoko had somehow convinced her brother to come with her.

It had been a tradition, when they were younger, to attend the festival together for all seven days, and though they had stopped doing it several years ago, Kyoko hoped that it may help spark at least some interest in her brother.

And indeed, when they arrived at the the festival, Kyoko thought she saw a spark of interest enter into her brother's eyes.

As the night wore on, Ryohei seemed to be returning to his old self little by little, and who knows, maybe he would have continued to recover slowly, little by little, if he and his sister had been left to their own devices, or maybe he would have returned to his despondent self as soon as the festival was over.

There really was no way to know because, about two hours after they had arrived at the festival, something happened that neither of them could have planned for: they were separated.

Now, this mightn't seem like such a big deal – their town was a small one, after all, and they would have found each other again soon, if Ryohei hadn't encountered another group before that.

The young teen was wandering the streets, searching for his sister's head of strawberry-blond hair and her two orange-tipped tails when he saw them.

Off on the outskirts of the festivities, in a corner that was otherwise deserted, there was a loud commotion.

And when Ryohei saw that Hibari Kyoya, of all people, was one of the parties involved, he understood why the rest of the revellers were giving this area such a wide berth.

The ex-prefect had both of his tonfas out and was facing two other guys around their age.

A girl was standing behind the two that were facing off with Hibari, as if the other two were acting as her shield and two more yet were standing between the warring parties, looking as if they were tying to defuse the situation.

Ryohei immediately recognized one of the peacekeepers as Yamamoto Takeshi, and after a few moments, he was startled to realize that the other boy was none other than Sawada Tsunayoshi, the young Vongola Decimo.

His interest peaked even more than before, Ryohei approached them, and was soon close enough to make out what they were saying.

"Maa, maa, Hibari-san, I'm sure Mukuro-kun didn't mean to 'disrupt the peace' or anything. Just calm down, and we can all go back to enjoying the festival, ne?"

Hibari just growled low in his throat, not looking away from his intended targets.

"Ignorance of a law is not a sufficient excuse to break it. I will bite this herbivore to death, and any others who get in my way."

"I'd like to see you try," smirked the guy that Ryohei assumed must be Mukuro, and he stepped slowly forward.

Dashing forward, Hibari aimed a devastating blow right at his target, only to stumble slightly forward when his tonfa cut right through his opponent, as if he were nothing more than an illusion.

"Tsk tsk tsk," said Mukuro, clucking his tongue, "Didn't your momma ever teach you not to get into battle with a nurarihyon? I doubt someone of _your_ level would be able to even touch me, let alone 'bite me to death'."

Whipping back around, Hibari got ready to aim another blow at the man, but stopped short when Tsuna stepped in between them and grabbed a fistful of Mukuro's hair.

Pulling the taller male's head down so that they were on eye level, Tsuna growled warningly to let his guardian know that he had stepped out of line before releasing him and shoving him towards Chrome, who caught her shocked brother before he could fall.

Mukuro wore a shocked expression on his face as he looked back on Tsuna – evidently, he had never been chastised by his boss before, and it had shocked him deeply.

Tsuna, however, wasn't paying him a lick of attention, instead walking calmly towards the human that was threatening his pride.

There was a low, continuous growl emanating from his chest, and as Hibari leaped forward to attack, Tsuna reached out and almost effortlessly batted the human aside with a powerful backhand.

Once the human was off balance, he kicked him hard in the stomach, causing the skylark to topple to the ground, a stunned expression on his face.

Pinning the older male to the ground with both knees on his shoulders, Tsuna growled in his face, his expression irate.

"You. Will. NOT. Touch. My. PRIDE," he ordered, the words coming out as a roar.

And then, after staring into Hibari's eyes for a moment longer to make sure that he had received the message, Tsuna released him, turning on his heels to walk back to his companions, who all stepped aside to let him pass, then followed him obediently back towards the festivities.

On the way, they passed Ryohei, who was standing stock still, his eyes glued to Tsuna.

The procession seemed to slow a bit as they passed him, all of their eyes meeting his and seeming to stay on him for an eternity before finally moving on.

Ryohei was torn as to what to do. He considered heading off once more on his search for his younger sister, but then he caught sight of Hibari, who was still sitting on the ground where he had been knocked down, looking almost...impressed?

And Ryohei didn't know why but it was Hibari's expression that finally snapped him out of it.

The man had just been defeated (and so easily too), and already, he looked to be planning their next match.

He didn't look at all deterred.

So maybe, just maybe, it was finally time for Ryohei to stop being such a baby himself.

* * *

It wasn't long before Ryohei was once more reunited with his younger sister, and he could tell from the expression on her face that the change in him had not gone unnoticed.

There was more of a spring in her step as they headed home, deciding to call it a night, and she seemed much more relaxed than she had been in quite a long time.

"Good night, onii-chan," she said once they had arrived at home and it was time for them to head into their respective bedrooms.

Kissing her lightly on the forehead, Ryohei whispered, "Have an EXTREMELY good night, Kyoko."

A strangled little giggle escaped from Kyoko when she heard this, and it soon morphed into a sob.

"Kyoko?" asked Ryohei, alarmed, but she waved off his worries, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I-it's fine, onii-chan," she assured him, "It-it's just...I w-was so worried for you a-and I'm just so r-relieved and..."

Ryohei spent the next few minutes comforting his sister, guilt rising up inside him as he realized just how much he had worried her. He vowed to himself then that he rather die before he was ever the cause of her tears again.

Once Kyoko had finally calmed down and the two had said good night to each other once more, Ryohei hurried to change out of his yukata and into something more comfortable.

Once that was done, he fell into bed in an exhausted heap, asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

His last coherent thought was that, even if he never saw Sawada Tsunayoshi again, he would be forever grateful to the young heir for helping him snap out of his daze.

* * *

_It seemed like only seconds later that Ryohei opened his eyes to find himself sitting at a long conference table._

_It was a situation very similar to the one Takeshi had found himself in a few days prior, and just as it happened then, all the arguing stopped when the other occupants of the room noticed him._

"_What the hell?" demanded Mukuro, seeming confused. "What is **he **doing here, Tsunayoshi? We didn't even **talk** to him! I'm starting to think that the you choose your guardians by just looking at any random stranger on the street and thinking 'he looks like a good guy! I think I want him to be one of my closest advisers even though I know absolutely nothing about him!'"_

"_What? No!" argued Tsuna. "I'm just as confused as you are, okay? The only thing I was thinking when I saw him was that he looked a bit like Knuckle, and that he was Sasagawa-san's big brother! It never even crossed my mind to make him a guardian!"_

"_Then what is he doing here?" demanded Mukuro, and Tsuna got out of his seat so that he was towering over his guardian._

"_I. Don't. Know!" he ground out, looking absolutely frustrated and Mukuro, rather than continuing to argue, merely paled a bit and nodded in understanding. Evidently, he was remembering what had happened earlier that night, and really didn't want a repeat performance._

_Huffing out a frustrated sigh, Giotto said, "Well, it looks like we're back to the drawing board."_

_Ryohei looked around in confusion, wondering what had just happened, and why everyone suddenly looked so glum._

"_What is EXTREMELY going on?" he demanded, and the two people on either side of him flinched away, looking pained._

_A kitsune sitting to his left quietly explained to him what was going on, and Ryohei tilted his head to the side, questioningly._

"_Then if we aren't extremely summoned here by Sawada's thoughts, maybe we come here by ourselves?" he asked, and the other's looked at him, confused. Elaborating, he said, "When one of us decides that Sawada is worthy of our respect, we wake up here, with everyone else."_

"_No, that doesn't make sense," argued Hayato, his brows furrowed. "If that happened, this room would be stuffed full of people. There are a lot of people that look up to Juudaime."_

_Shrugging, Ryohei amended, "Then when those **destined** to be Sawada's guardians decide he is worthy of respect, they appear here."_

_Hayato opened his mouth, as if to argue, but found that he had nothing to say. Finally, he closed it with an audible click._

"_He might be onto something," admitted Mukuro, thoughtful, and Tsuna turned approving eyes on Ryohei._

"_Well then," he said, "I guess if Sasagawa-san is **destined** to be my guardian, it's probably time to welcome him into the family, yes? ...If he wants to, that is."_

_At these words, a wide, beaming smile spread across Ryohei's face, and he took a moment to thank every deity out there for the existence of Sawada Tsunayoshi. He would always hold boxing in a special place in his heart, and he would always mourn the loss of it, but he couldn't deny that what had happened had probably been for the best._

"_Of course I EXTREMELY want to be a guardian!" he shouted enthusiastically, causing his neighbours to flinch again._

_Tsuna opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, one of the last two empty seats flickered for a few seconds, and then appeared Hibari._

_There were a few beats if silence as everyone stared at the newcomer, and in the end, it was Tsuna that broke the it._

"_H-HIIEEE!"_

* * *

When Tsuna finally returned from his short trip home to Namimori, no one was expecting him to have three new guardians in tow.

Nevertheless, they were all welcomed with open arms.

None one was really very surprised when Takeshi and Ryohei immediately hit it off with the two Vongola mothers.

What they _were _surprised at however, was that Hibari Kyoya, who had been snappish and unfriendly to his fellow guardians from the moment he had become one of them, was perfectly respectful, and even borderline pleasant towards Lavina and Nana.

He even deviated from his normal one word reply of "Hn," in favour of full sentences!

Tsuna and his guardians were so shocked at this change in behaviour that they almost didn't notice the shrieks of childish laughter that were coming from somewhere in another part of the mansion.

As it happened, they didn't actually notice the delighted shrieks until their owners ran into the foyer, chasing each other in some kind of game that resembled tag.

Upon noticing the new strangers in standing there however, all three children skidded to a halt and stared with wide eyes.

The oldest of the children seemed to be around ten or eleven years old, with light brown hair and a striped scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, despite it being the middle of summer.

The other two children both looked to be around seven, but that's where their similarities ended.

One of them was a girl with her hair in twin braids, and she was wearing read and white martial arts robes.

The other seven-year-old was a boy with unruly black hair, and a pair of short little stubs growing out of his forehead. His t-shirt was cow print, and his scrawny goat legs poked out of a pair of cargo shorts.

Something about him caught all the guardians' attention – probably his uncanny resemblance to a certain first generation lightning guardian – and Takeshi laughed into his boss's ear.

"Looks like we've found our last guardian."

Tsuna groaned dramatically at this, saying, "I was hoping to get a bit of rest before any more craziness was added to our lives."

His guardians all chuckled, not believing a word he was saying, although that might have had something to do with the loud purring emanating from his throat.

Slowly approaching the three children that were all standing huddled together, watching him through suspicious eyes, Tsuna knelt down so that he was on eye level with them, and smiled that charming smile of his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said. "My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada. Would you like to join my pride?"

* * *

* A Hyakki Yakko is a night parade of a hundred demons, which happens on summer nights. In this fanfiction, I've taken that concept, and turned it into a festival celebrated by the youkai of Japan.

* Capri-pede - literally translated, it means "goat feet" and is a general term for all mythical beings with the torsos of humans and the bottom halves of hoofed animals. In this world, their society has chosen to ignore the meaning of its roots, and it has expanded to become something of an umbrella term for all spirits with the upper halves of humans and the bottom halves of animals.

SkyGem: Holy shit. I'm done. I'm actually done! Omg I never thought I'd finish, this was so long! But it was so so much fun to write! I've never done a project this big, and I honestly never would have done it, if it hadn't been for my lovely partner, Bleach-ed-Na-tsu (I'm sorry I'm such a procrastinator love, and that because of me we ended up being like half a month late T^T). So guys, please don't forget to check out her one-shot as well if you haven't already, yeah? Anyways, don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you thought of this monster of a one-shot! Tell me if you liked it, hated it, found it super strange, or thought it was a waste of your time. All reviews are welcome! Also before you ask, no, I won't be writing a sequel/turning it into a multi-chap.


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